VA& 


V 


BY  ROBERT  W.  CHAMBERS. 


The  Red  Republic. 

A  Romance  of  the  Commune. 
Eighth  Thousand.     12°    . 

A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

A  Romance.    Sixth  Thousand.   12°, 

The  Maker  of  Moons. 

With  frontispiece.     New  Edition. 
12°,  gilt  top    . 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 
27  WEST  230  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


A  KING  AND  A  FEW  DUKES 


A  ROMANCE 


BY 


ROBERT  W.  CHAMBERS 

Author  of  "  The  Kine  in  Yellow,"  "  The  Red  Republic," 
"  The  Maker  of  Moons,"  etc.,  etc. 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 

WEST  TWENTY-THIRD  STREET  24   BEDFORD  9TRBET,  STRAWD 

Ubc  ftnicfeerbocfcer 
1904 


COPYRIGHT,  1896 

BY 
G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 


Ube  Knickerbocker  press,  We*  tRocbelle,  ft. 


TO 

GEORGE  GOODRIDGE  WALKER 


Old  friend,  I  dream  again  ;  the  skies  are  blue, 
The  sounds  of  rippling  rivers  fill  my  ears, 
And  borne  upon  the  current  of  past  years 
My  thoughts  are  drifting  back  again  to  you. 

Again  I  lie  beside  the  woodland  stream 
Where  golden  grasses  glisten  splashed  with  spray, 
Where  willows  whiten  in  the  breath  of  May, 
Where  alder  grey  and  slender  birches  gleam. 

I  watch  the  crystal  current  flow  and  flow, 
Now  silver,  brimming  in  a  placid  pool, 
Now  lost  in  hidden  hazel  thickets  cool, 
Now  on  the  sedges'  edges  lapping  low. 

The  painted  trout  come  sailing,  sailing  by, 
Stemming  the  idle  current  of  my  dream, 
And  sunbeams  steal  between  green  leaves  and  gleam 
On  pebbled  shallows,  mirrors  of  the  sky. 

So  dream  with  me,  old  friend,  beside  the  fire, 
Here  where  our  shadows  tremble  on  the  wall, 
Where  ashes  rustle  as  the  embers  fall ; 
And  peace  shall  fall  on  us  and  end  desire. 

R.  W.C. 

NEW  YORK,  March,  1896* 


3571 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  VAGC. 

I. — THE  FUGITIVES                        .        .        i 
II. — AN  ALARMING  PROSPECT         .        .       14 
III. — A  VOICE  IN  THE  FOREST          .        .      35 
IV. — THE  DUCHESS  TAKES  A  DRIVE        .      48 
V. — IN  THE  ROSE  GARDEN     .        .        .61 
VI. — A  COUNCIL  OF  WAR        ...      89 
VII. — TEN  MINUTES'  GRACE     .        .        .100 
VIII.— THE  TOILET  OF  MOPS     .        .        .118 
IX. — THE  SLUMBER  OF  THE  DUCHESS      .     137 
X. — THE  WAY  OF  A  MAID      .        .        .152 
XI. — WHAT   THE  NIGHT   WINDS   WHIS- 
PERED   159 

XII. — "  SALUTE  TO  THE  KING  "        .        .     191 

XIII. — PRISONER 209 

XIV. — THE  HAND  AND  THE  LETTER          .    225 

XV. — THE  BATTLE  OF  DRAGOVITZA         .     251 

XVI. — AN  UNEXPECTED  JOURNEY      .        .     265 

XVII. — THE  BLACK  FORTRESS     .        .        .    283 

XVIII.— WITCH  SYLVIA         ....    308 

XIX. — THE  DUCHESS  OR  THE  DEVIL  .        .317 

XX. — A  HEADLONG  FLIGHT      .        .        .332 

XXI. — THE  WITCHERY  OF  SYLVIA      .        .    349 

Envoi— ^MOSTLY  CONCERNING  BEARS  .        .     358 


"  Are  you  going  for  a  soldier,  with  your  curly  yellow  hair, 
And  the  scarlet  coat,  instead  of  the  smock  you  used  to  wear  ? 
Are  you  going  to  drive  the  foe,  as  you  used  to  drive  the 
plough  ? 

Are  you  going  for  a  soldier  now  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  for  a  soldier,  and  my  tunic  is  of  red, 

And  I  'm  tired  of  woman's  chatter,  and  I  '11  hear  the  drum 

instead  ; 

I  '11  break  the  fighting  line,  as  you  broke  your  plighted  vow, 
For  I  'm  going  for  a  soldier  now." 

"  For  a  soldier,  for  a  soldier,  are  you  sure  that  you  will  go, 
To  hear  the  drums  a-beating,  and  to  hear  the  bugles  blow  ? 
I  '11  make  you  sweeter  music,  for  I  '11  swear  another  vow  : 
Are  you  going  for  a  soldier  now  ?  " 

' '  I  am  going  for  a  soldier,  if  you  'd  twenty  vows  to  make  ; 
You  must  get  another  sweetheart,  with  another  heart  to  break, 
For  I  'm  sick   of  lies  and  women  and  the  harrow  and  the 
plough, 

And  I  'm  going  for  a  soldier  now.'* 


A  KING  AND  A  FEW  DUKES 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  FUGITIVES. 

QCARCELY  had  I  settled  myself 
vZ5  comfortably,  scarcely  had  I  had  a 
chance  to  find  out  what  was  really  in 
the  district,  when  they  came  trooping  in, 
tattered,  tarnished,  grotesque  as  theat- 
rical supernumeraries,  and  all  atrociously 
thirsty. 

I  was  sitting  on  the  veranda,  cleaning 
my  gun  when  the  weary  wanderers  en- 
tered the  valley  by  the  Taxil  high-road. 
I  knew  who  they  were  at  once, — I  had 
been  warned  that  they  would  in  all  prob- 
ability pass  my  way, — and  I  was  prepared 
to  receive  them  and  make  the  best  of  it. 
I  say  that  I  was  not  entirely  taken  unpre- 


2       A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

pared  but  I  had  not  had  the  faintest  idea 
that  they  intended  to  linger  longer  than 
over  night.  If  I  had  imagined  that  the 
King, — but  I  fear  that  I  am  going  too 
fast.  Let  me  explain  a  little. 

I  was  sitting,  as  I  say,  on  my  veranda, 
cleaning  the  locks  of  my  gun  with  a  fist 
full  of  oily  rags.  The  morning  sun  blazed 
in  the  heavens,  sending  splendid  red  lan- 
ces of  light  straight  through  mountain 
notch  over  acres  of  dew-splashed  bracken 
and  glistening  meadows. 

A  dainty  spring  shower  had  just  passed 
across  the  valley,  vanishing  against  the 
northern  Caspian  peaks  in  a  double  rain- 
bow and  a  light  peal  of  thunder;  and  I, 
anxious  to  be  about  my  business,  looked 
up  into  the  sky  for  signs  of  fairer  weather. 

The  signs  were  favorable.  The  pon- 
derous masses  of  the  Caspian  Mountains 
that  surrounded  the  valley  on  every  side 
were  smoking  with  the  rising  mists ;  trees, 
bracken,  pastureland,  were  ablaze  with 
gemmed  dew-drops,  and  the  filmy  clouds 
in  the  zenith  melted  into  the  azure  as  I 
looked. 


The  Fugitives.  3 

"  Good ! "  I  thought  complacently,  and 
was  on  the  point  of  resuming  my  oily  task 
when  something  caught  my  eye — some- 
thing on  the  white  high-road  that  winds 
through  the  Caspian  Mountain  notch 
where  it  enters  the  valley.  It  was  a  black 
spot  seemingly  surmounted  by  a  blind- 
ing point  of  light,  and  it  moved  slowly 
along  the  high-road  in  the  direction  of  the 
Tiflix  Valley.  I  had  a  premonition  of 
what  it  was,  but  to  make  sure  I  laid  down 
my  gun,  went  into  my  bed-room,  washed 
my  hands,  took  the  marine  glass  from  my 
dresser,  and  walked  out  to  the  porch  again. 

Yes,  I  was  right.  There  they  were, 
three  of  them,  shuffling  along  the  white 
highway,  and  a  more  despondent  band  I 
had  never  seen. 

"They're  going  across  to  Austria," 
thought  I  to  myself,  "  they  won't  bother 
me  much  I  fancy." 

I  lowered  the  glass.  They  were  dis- 
tinctly visible  now  to  the  naked  eye,  three 
dots  on  the  white  ribbon  winding  up 
among  the  rocks  into  the  gorge  below  the 
Osman  Peak. 


4      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

The  point  of  light,  sparkling  and  flash- 
ing above  them,  could  be  but  one  thing, 
—the  Griffin-crested  silver-gilt  helmet  of 
the  Boznovian  Life  Guards. 

After  a  moment's  thought  I  went  into 
the  house  and  called  Obadiah. 

He  came  from  the  garden,  wiping  his 
hands  on  his  apron,  and  took  off  his  red 
skull  cap  as  I  motioned  him  to  enter. 

'"Diah,"  said  I,  "  they  're  coming  this 
time  for  certain.  There  seems  to  be  only 
three  of  them  ; — I  had  expected  at  least  a 
dozen  including  servants.  I  suppose  that 
they  left  Belgarde  rather — er — hurriedly." 

Obadiah  grinned  and  rubbed  his  kinky 
head. 

"You  black  rascal!"  said  I,  "you've 
been  eating  more  of  those  strawberries  ! " 

"  Foh  Gawd  !  Mars  Steen,  ain't  nebber 
tetched  no  behs — " 

"  Then  see  that  you  don't.  Can  you 
get  up  a  decent  dinner  for  four  ?  What 
is  there?" 

"  Sho,  Mars  Steen  ;  dah  ain't  nuffin  ex- 
tra sumptshus  to  offah  de  gemmens,  sah, 
but  I  'se  hyah  Mars  Steen,  I  'se  hyah— " 


The  Fugitives.  5 

"  And  good  for  nothing  except  to  cook 
like  a  Cordon  Bleu  and  loaf  the  rest  of  the 
day,"  I  interrupted.  "  See  that  the  guests9 
rooms  are  aired  and  do  your  best  with  the 
dinner — and  if  I  find  that  you  have  been 
sampling  any  more  of  those  seed  ber- 
ries!—" 

"  Nebber  tetched  nuffin,"  said  Obadiah. 

I  went  out  onto  the  porch  again,  dis- 
charging my  mind  of  any  worry  concern- 
ing dinner,  and  sat  down  on  the  steps  to 
await  the  wanderers. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait.  Into  the  valley 
and  down  the  road  they  trooped,  bedrag- 
gled, dusty,  thirsty. 

The  King  came  first,  sweating  under 
his  heavy  silver  helmet,  and  the  two  Dukes 
followed  him  carrying  the  common  lug- 
gage. The  King  approached  the  porch 
where  I  was  sitting  and  hailed  me  in  the 
Boznovian  language.  I  answered  civilly 
in  French. 

"  C'est  bien  !  "  said  the  King,  entering 
the  garden  in  that  easy  unconventional 
walk  of  his, — "  hey  !  is  this  an  inn,  my 
good  man  ?  " 


6       A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

4<  By  necessity,  your  Majesty,"  I  re- 
plied, controlling  my  impatience  with  an 
effort.  I  saw  that  the  King  had  been 
drinking. 

"Then  get  me  something  to  eat  and 
drink,— ouf !  " 

He  took  one  of  the  large  wooden  chairs 
on  the  porch  and  the  Duke  of  Taxil  took 
another  at  a  nod  from  the  King.  The 
Duke  of  Babu  was  wandering  around  the 
garden,  picking  strawberries  and  devour- 
ing them  with  every  symptom  of  pleasure, 
and  I  ventured  to  remonstrate. 

"  I  am  sorry/'  I  said,  "  those  berries 
are  for  seed  ;  there  are  others  in  the  large 
garden  if  you  care  for  them." 

The  Duke  of  Babu  stared  at  me  with 
his  large  round  eyes  and  offered  no  com- 
ment, but  presently  he  left  the  strawberry 
beds  and  roamed  curiously  around  the 
pheasantry  where  an  old  cock  silver  phea- 
sant jabbed  at  his  eyes  and  then  went 
into  a  delirium  of  temper  behind  the  wire 
sides  of  his  pen. 

In  a  few  moments  Obadiah  appeared 
ducking  and  scraping,  bearing  a  tray  on 


The  Fugitives.  7 

which    were    several    crusted    bottles    of 
Burgundy  and  some  glasses. 

When  the  King  saw  Obadiah  he  laughed 
outright  and  spoke  to  him  in  the  Boznovian 
tongue. 

"  He  only  understands  English, — he  's 
an  American  darkey,"  I  explained. 

"  Ask  him  if  he  '11  take  service  with  me," 
said  the  King,  checking  his  mirth. 

"  Obadiah,"  said  I  in  English,  "  King 
Theobald  of  Boznovia  wishes  to  know 
whether  you  will  take  service  with  him. 
And,"  I  added  pleasantly,  always  speak- 
ing in  English,  "if  you  do  I'll  break 
e\  y  bone  in  your  worthless  hide." 

"That  settles  it!"  cried  the  King  in 
perfectly  good  English,  laughing  immod- 
erately," you  are  a  Yankee,  mine  host,  and 
I  '11  bet  ten  thousand  marks  on  it, — hey — 
I  '11  bet  'em  with  you  ! "  turning  to  the 
Duke  of  Babu  who  only  gaped  in  reply. 

"  I  am  sorry — I  regret  that  your  Ma- 
jesty— "  I  began. 

"  Nonsense  ! "  said  the  King,  unclasping 
the  chin-guard  of  his  helmet  and  taking 
it  off,  "he  's  your  servant  and  that 's  your 


8       A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

own  affair.  This  wine  is  pretty  good, — 
where  are  you  going  to  put  us,  landlord  ?" 

"  I  am  not  a  landlord,"   I  said  quietly. 

"  Have  it  your  own  way,"  said  the  King  ; 
then  draining  his  glass,  "  how  did  you 
know  that  I  am  the  King  of  Boznovia  ?  " 

"  Ex-King/'  observed  the  Duke  of 
Taxil  sulkily. 

"Your  Majesty,"  I  said,  "the  Servian 
police  notified  me  that  you  would  prob- 
ably pass  this  way  into  Austria." 

"  Oh  they  did,  did  they,"  said  the  King, 
swallowing  another  goblet  of  Burgundy, 
"  well  they  were  in  a  position  to  prophecy." 

"  Could  you  hear  the  cannon  down 
here?"  asked  the  Duke  of  Taxil.  He 
seemed  to  be  bitterly  ashamed  of  his  com- 
panions. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied  pleasantly  ;  "  and  some 
Servian  troops,  infantry  and  mountain 
artillery,  passed  through  here  on  their  way 
to  the  front.  I  supposed  the  firing  was 
from  the  battle  of  the  Genghis  Pass." 

"It  was,"  said  the  King,  "that's  ex- 
actly what  you  heard, — the  battle  of 
Genghis  Pass  where  the  Servians  played 


The  Fugitives.  9 

the  mischief  generally  with  me  and  my 
army,  and — this  is  the  result." 

"  His  own  people  rose  against  him," 
said  the  Duke  of  Babu  solemnly. 

"  They  had  enough  of  you  and  Taxil 
too,"  said  the  King,  "otherwise  you'd 
never  have  followed  your  King  into  exile." 

"  The  Servians,"  I  ventured,  "greatly 
outnumbered  the  Boznovians  at  Genghis 
Pass  I  understand — " 

"  No,  both  forces  were  equal  in  every 
respect  except  celerity  ; — we  were  quicker 
in  running ;  and  we  ran — "  sneered  the 
Duke  of  Taxil. 

"  Who  cares,"  said  the  King,  "  my 
good  brother  of  Austria  will  be  obliged 
to  support  us.  I  'm  glad  enough  to  get 
out  of  Boznovia — yes,  even  thrown  out 
as  I  was — shoved  across  the  frontier 
without  servants  or  baggage  or  horses  or 
fit  company  or  anything  but  curses — " 

"  Fit  company,"  remonstrated  the  Duke 
of  Babu. 

"Oh  it's  good  enough  for  me, — it's 
the  company  I  kept  in  Belgarde.  I  don't 
wonder  that  the  people  revolted  after  the 


io     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Genghis  Pass  fiasco,  and  I  'm  glad  they 
put  that  Russian  puppet  from  Marmora 
in  my  place.  Russia  has  got  what  she 
wants  now  and  —  who  cares?  —  So  has 
Witch  Sylvia." 

"  Perhaps,"  I  observed  after  a  while, 
"when  Austria  gets  Salonica,  you  will  be 
given  a  throne."  I  wished  he  'd  let  the 
wine  alone. 

"  I  don't  want  it,"  said  the  King,  raising 
another  goblet  of  Burgundy  to  his  flushed 
puffy  face  :  "  I  'm  tired  of  being  shoved 
and  pushed  and  cuffed  and  duped  by 
every  one  of  the  Powers  in  turn.  I  'm 
not  subtile, — I  have  n't  an  Eastern  mind 
that  can  expand  on  lies.  Open  another 
bottle,  landlord." 

"  Russian  intrigue  is  the  worst,"  sighed 
the  Duke  of  Babu  ;  "  Witch  Sylvia  is  a 
devil." 

"Yes,"  muttered  the  Duke  of  Taxil, 
"  you  think  you  understand  and  you 
don't ;  you  think  you  see  a  way  to  build 
a  railroad  and — you  don't.  Deceptio  visus 
de  die  in  diem." 

"I  wish,"  muttered  the  King,  "you'd 


The  Fugitives.  1 1 

get  over  your  habit  of  translating  into 
Latin." 

Taxil  moodily  pulled  a  strand  of  gold 
tinsel  from  his  tarnished  epaulettes. 

"The  question  is,"  said  the  King  in  a 
thick  voice,  reaching  for  more  Burgundy, — 
u  the  question  is,  where  are  you  going  to 
put  us,  landlord  ?  "  He  ended  in  a  hic- 
cough. 

"Your  Majesty,"  I  said,  "I  object  to 
being  called  landlord.  My  name  is  Stephen 
Steen  of  New  York  City,  gentleman  of 
leisure  and  now  here  in  the  Caspian 
Mountains  for  my  own  pleasure.  I  have 
rented  this  valley  and  parts  of  the  adjacent 
mountains  from  the  Servian  Government 
as  a  shooting  preserve  and  trout  hatch- 
ery. But  before  the  government  con- 
sented to  allow  me  to  experiment  with 
my  trout  and  my  pheasants,  they  stipu- 
lated that  I  should  keep  my  house  open 
as  an  inn,  because  it  is  the  only  decent 
house  within  twenty  miles.  Therefore, 
your  Majesty,  I  am  ready  to  carry  out 
my  bargain  with  the  Servian  Government 
and  entertain  you, — but  I  refuse  to  re- 


12     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

ceive  any  compensation,  for  I  choose  to 
regard  all  travellers  as  my  invited  guests." 

"  Thash  all  rif,"  hiccoughed  his  Royal 
Highness,  spilling  part  of  a  goblet  of 
Burgundy  over  his  uniform  in  an  effort 
to  gulp  it  down  in  one  swallow, — "thash 
all  ri'  my  Yankee  frien', — we — hie  !  we 
accepsh — we  have  n't  got  any  money  any- 
way !  "  and  he  burst  into  a  maudlin  laugh. 

The  Duke  of  Taxil  looked  at  me,  morti- 
fied and  furious. 

The  Duke  of  Babu,  who  had  been 
earnestly  applying  himself  to  the  cognac 
which  Obadiah  had  brought  at  his  request, 
tried  to  appear  shocked,  failed,  swallowed 
some  cognac  and  peacefully  went  to  sleep 
in  his  chair. 

"  Will  you  assist  his  Majesty  ? "  I 
asked  the  Duke  of  Taxil,  attempting  to 
repress  my  disgust. 

"  No  he  won't,"  said  the  King,  rising 
and  wagging  his  head  scornfully. 

"  Give  his  Majesty  your  arm,"  I  said 
again  to  Taxil. 

"  Virtuti  non  armis  fido, — I  trust  to 
virtue,  not  to  arms,"  said  the  King,  and 


The  Fugitives.  13 

waddled  off  to  bed,  ushered  by  the  grin- 
ning, ducking  Obadiah. 

I  stood  up  impatiently  and  turned  to 
the  others. 

"  Where  do  I  sleep,  Mr.  Steen  ?  "  asked 
the  Duke  of  Taxil  angrily. 

I  instructed  him. 

"  Come  on,"  he  called,  roughly  arous- 
ing the  inebriated  Duke  of  Babu,  "  I  'm 
too  tired  and  you  are  too  drunk  to  wait 
for  luncheon.  It 's  time  this  debauch 
was  ended  ! " 

And  so  their  Graces  of  Taxil  and  Babu 
retired  to  slumber.  I  preceded  them  to 
their  rooms  and  Obadiah  pulled  off  their 
spurred  boots. 

The  King  was  already  snoring.  I  heard 
him. 


CHAPTER  II. 

AN    ALARMING    PROSPECT. 

THIS,"  said  I  to  myself,  "will  not 
last  longer  than  twenty-four 
hours."  Whereupon  I  thanked  Provi- 
dence and  walked  slowly  down  the  stone 
stairs  and  out  into  the  pheasantry. 

I  had  been,  so  far,  more  than  successful 
with  the  pheasants,  for,  whether,  it  was 
due  to  the  climate  or  to  my  care,  the  fact 
remained  that  I  had  not  lost  a  single 
young  bird  from  the  pip.  Of  course  there 
had  been  a  few  accidents  and  mysterious 
turning  up  of  little  toes,  but  most  of  these 
cases  could  be  easily  accounted  for  after 
a  closer  investigation. 

The  birds  that   had  done  particularly 

well    were   the    North    American    ruffed 

grouse,    the   pinnated    grouse,    the    Am- 

herst  pheasant,   and  the  silver  pheasant. 

14 


An  Alarming  Prospect.         15 

I  obtained  a  magnificent  hybrid  of  the 
silver  pheasant  and  the  prairie  hen,  and 
now  I  was  about  to  turn  a  hundred  of 
these  beauties  into  the  coverts  that 
stretched  from  the  vineyards  to  the  upper 
maize  fields.  All  the  birds  had  wintered 
well,  nests  were  abundant  and  easily  lo- 
cated, and  the  birds  took  to  the  maize 
and  little  white  wine-grapes  as  though 
they  had  been  reared  on  nothing  else. 
Besides  the  country  was  a  perfect  natural 
preserve ;  the  long  valley,  traversed  by 
woods  and  second  growth  thickets,  was 
dotted  all  over  with  rolling  maize  fields 
and  vineyards,  and  it  was  beautifully  shel- 
tered by  that  southern  spur  of  the  great 
Carpathian  range,  the  Caspian  Mountains. 
As  far  as  the  trout  went,  it  was  easy  work, 
for  the  Tschiska,  a  rapid  mountain  river, 
was  already  teeming  with  German  trout 
and  grayling,  and  it  was  a  labor  of  love 
to  build  fish- ways  above  the  upper  cas- 
cades, which  opened  to  trout  and  grayling 
four  miles  of  unapproachable  water  that 
had,  in  all  probability,  never  before  been 
stirred  by  a  fishes  fins.  There  were  a  few 


1 6     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

otters  along  the  stream  but  I  contented 
myself  with  shooting  the  only  two  females 
I  saw  and  letting  the  dog-otters  alone. 
I  hated  to  shoot  any  of  them  but,  as  I 
had  no  otter-hounds  nor  any  desire  for 
that  kind  of  alleged  sport,  I  was  obliged  to 
protect  my  fish.  There  were  also  a  few 
herons  in  the  vicinity,  but  I  let  them  alone, 
for  I  believed  that  there  were  enough 
trout  in  the  Tschiska  for  all  of  us,  now 
that  some  of  the  little  lady-otters  had  been 
sent  to  regions  where  they  may  hunt  and 
breed  for  ever  and  ever  in  peace. 

The  valley  belonged  to  the  Servian 
Government.  I  had  a  six  years  lease  and 
an  option,  at  the  end  of  that  period,  of 
buying  the  valley  outright.  This  would 
also  include  the  slopes  of  all  the  moun- 
tains facing  and  surrounding  the  valley. 

The  price  was  not  excessive,  for  the 
mountains  were  the  stamping  grounds  for 
reh-bock  and  red-deer,  and,  to  my  in- 
finite delight,  I  had  seen  more  than  a 
dozen  chamois  on  the  Osman  Peak  and 
the  three  adjacent  spurs. 

I  had,  in  fact,  already  decided  to  buy 


An  Alarming  Prospect          1 7 

the  land  and  make  the  Tiflix  Valley  my 
home  for  the  remainder  of  my  life.  Of 
course  it  would  be  an  isolated  existence, — 
but  what  was  the  world  to  me  ?  All  the 
joy  and  warmth  and  sunshine,  had  gone 
out  of  it,  for  me,  three  years  before,  and 
for  two  years  I  had  wandered  over  a  noisy 
world,  seeking  some  refuge  from — what  ? 
— a  shadow, — a  shade  that  pursued  me, 
that  dogged  my  lightest  footstep  ; — an 
echo  that  never  ceased,  sounding  faintly 
in  my  ears  as  I  passed  through  city  street, 
or  woodland  path,  through  wilderness  and 
desert,  over  oceans,  across  continents, 
until  I  came  to  the  Tiflix  Valley,  and  I 
thought,  perhaps,  that  here  that  echo 
might  die  out  of  my  ears, — that  the 
shadow  might  flee  away.  And  I  bought 
the  little  stone  house  and  I  wrote  over 
the  door  : 

"  Till  the  day  breaks  and  the  shadows  flee  away." 

Had  the  shadow  fled  ?  As  I  stood  in 
the  fragrant  garden  I  looked  on  the  turf. 
And  I  saw  the  shadow.  Had  the  echo 
died  away  ?  Even  as  I  stood  I  bent  my 


1 8     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

head  to  listen,  and  I  heard  it,  no  fainter, 
no  clearer  than  ever,  but  always  there. 
It  was  the  echo  of  a  name;  for  I  had 
loved  a  woman  and  she  had  lied  to  me. 

The  vicious  old  silver  pheasant  who 
lived  all  by  himself  in  magnificent  seclu- 
sion and  undying  hope  that  he  might  one 
day  peck  my  eyes  out,  now  began  to  bow 
and  bob  and  strut  and  scratch  gravel, 
which  were  always  the  preliminaries  to 
his  working  himself  into  a  passion.  Then 
he  began  that  harsh  short  screaming,  end- 
ing in  a  series  of  metallic  clucks  which 
sounded  like  two  stones  knocked  to- 
gether. "  You  old  devil !  "  I  thought, 
"  now  you  '11  begin  to  hiss.  Of  course 
Obadiah  must  be  somewhere  in  sight." 
Surely  enough  the  wicked  old  bird 
scratched  more  gravel,  pirouetted  once  or 
twice  and  hissed  venomously.  I  turned 
and  looked  about  me.  Seated  at  an  open 
window,  palm-leaf  fan  in  hand,  lolled 
Obadiah.  It  was  the  window  belonging 
to  the  room  where  King  Theobald  of 
Boznovia  lay  asleep.  Obadiah  was  softly 
talking  to  himself.  He  neither  saw  me 


An  Alarming  Prospect.          19 

nor  heeded  the  rage  of  the  pheasant,  and 
I  crept  up  to  the  house  wall  under  the 
window  and  listened. 

"Gwuff'm  hyah,  fly  !"  muttered  Oba- 
diah, waving  his  fan,  "  doan,  yo'  persoom 
to  obnoxiate  de  sof  snuffles  of  de  high  'n' 
mighty, — doan*  you  do  it  !  Gwuff'm 
hyah,  'skeeter  !  'Diah  's  gwine  swat  yo'  ef 
yo'  doan'  git.  De  high  'n'  mighty  King  ob 
de  ebber-lastin'  gole  an'  diamon'  palace 
am  a  sleepin'  an'  a  slumberin'  an'  a  snuf- 
flin'  like  he  gwine  bus', — bang  ! — he  head 
off!"  The  pheasant  across  the  garden 
was  fairly  squealing  with  rage.  Obadiah 
heeded  him  not. 

"  Ole  'Diah  gwine  run  away  wif  de 
high  'n'  mighty  King — he  !  he  ! — ole  'Diah 
he  gwine  git ! " 

I  reached  up  and  grasped  Obadiah  by 
the  back  of  the  neck. 

— "  And  no  more  stolen  strawberries, 
eh,  'Diah  ?  Come  out  of  that  you  shift- 
less roustabout  or — " 

"  Foh  Gawd !  Mars'  Steen,  did  n't  say 
nuff 'n — leg  go  mah  wool ! — " 

"Come  out  of   that!"     I    said  firmly 


20     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

and  I  lifted  the  treacherous  darkey  clean 
out  of  the  window,  and  down  among  the 
poppies  at  my  feet  where  he  rolled  his 
eyes  appealingly,  opened  his  mouth  once 
or  twice  and  collapsed. 

"  Now,"  said  I,  "  if  I  catch  you  trying 
to  sneak  off  after  the  King  of  Boznovia 
when  he  goes  away  to-morrow,  it  will  be 
the  worse  for  you  !  What  do  you  mean 
by  attempting  to  leave  me  in  the  lurch  in 
such  a  place  as  this  ?  Answer !  You 
good  for  nothing  ungrateful  glutton,— 
who  is  to  cook  for  me  if  you  go !  Do 
you  think  I  'm  going  to  put  up  with  a 
Servian  or  a  Roumanian,  or  a  Bulgarian, 
or  a  Turcoman  ?  Are  your  wages  not 
doubled  and  paid  a  year  in  advance  ? 
Get  a  move  on  you,  quick." 

Obadiah  was  stricken  with  contrition 
and  in  palliation  of  his  contemplated  flight 
he  pleaded  that  he  was  dazzled  by  the 
nearness  of  so  much  royalty,  and  that  he 
had  been  seduced  by  the  careless  offer  of 
the  King.  The  words  "gole  an'  jools 
an*  precious  stones,"  "sumptohus  high'n' 
mighty,"  and  "  miss'ble  sinner,"  were  so 


An  Alarming  Prospect.          21 

much  mixed  and  mumbled  that  I  cut  short 
his  apology,  accepted  it,  and  bade  him 
go  about  his  business  which  was  to  finish 
weeding  the  lily  bed. 

"Some  day,"  said  I,  "a  wandering 
Kurd  or  Cossack  will  catch  you  and  stick 
knives  all  over  you  if  you  run  away  from 
me." 

Obadiah's  eyes  rolled  but  he  said  noth- 
ing. 

"  And,"  I  continued,  moving  away,  "  if 
the  Kurds  don't  catch  you  one  of  those 
big  Carpathian  bears  will  and  he  '11  pull 
all  the  kinks  out  of  your  wool  and  shell 
your  tody  out  of  your  skin  as  a  man  shells 
a  pea-nut." 

This  affected  Obadiah  so  profoundly 
that  I  was  obliged  to  assure  him  that 
there  was  no  immediate  danger  of  bears  ; 
but  it  was  half  an  hour  before  Obadiah 
resumed  his  normal  smile,  which  measured 
six  inches  across. 

I  walked  through  the  garden,  now  all 
abloom  with  great  spicy  Turkish  roses, 
crossed  the  high-road,  and  threw  myself 
down  on  the  grass. 


22      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

For  a  while  I  lay  there  idly,  touching 
the  grass  with  indolent  caress,  moving  my 
fingers  among  the  pebbles  and  tiny  clods 
of  moist  earth.  Then  sitting  upright  I 
patted  the  solid  sod  as  a  potter  pats  his 
clay,  thinking ;  "  If  I  had  made  it  all,  how 
different  I  might  have  made  it ! "  And  I 
stooped  swiftly  to  the  earth  and  inhaled 
the  incense  from  the  grass  and  the  soil, 
and  dug  little  holes  with  my  fingers, 
watching  the  movements  of  the  ants  and 
the  minute  field  insects,  with  curious  eyes. 
The  grass  brushed  my  chin  ;  the  little 
creatures  of  the  field  hurried  hither  and 
thither,  startled,  perhaps  by  the  great 
eyes  fixed  on  them  from  above,  yet  each 
busily  working  out  its  fate, — each  follow- 
ing its  appointed  destiny. 

"It  is  all  good,"  said  I,  thinking  of  the 
greater  eyes  that  watched  me  as  I  was 
watching ;  "  it  is  all  good ;  it  is  good  to 
live  and  be  alive  and  lie  on  the  bosom  of 
the  world."  I  tapped  upon  the  earth  with 
my  finger  tips. 

"  Underneath  lies  the  balm,"  I  said  ; 
"  I  press  upon  it  with  my  breast  and  it 


An  Alarming  Prospect.          23 

shall  heal  this  heart  of  mine  even  as  God 
heals  my  soul." 

I  lay  heavily,  my  head  between  my  flat- 
tened hands,  my  mouth  against  the  earth. 
For  there  is  a  mystery  in  the  fragrant 
aromatic  crust  of  the  globe  that  is  only 
solved  when  the  soft  flesh  of  human  lips 
press  it,  whispering  their  secrets. 

After  a  time  I  lifted  my  face,  looking 
long  and  thoughtfully  across  the  tops  of 
the  meadow-weeds  to  the  solid  mountains, 
towering  pinnacle  on  pinnacle  into  the 
blue.  Then  brushing  the  sweet  earth 
from  lip  and  chin  I  sat  up  in  the  sun- 
shine. 

"Who  could  die,"  thought  I,  "with  a 
broken  heart,  when  the  earth  and  the 
scented  grass  are  here  to  heal  ?  " 

An  eagle  was  hanging  high  in  the 
zenith,  moving  imperceptibly  southward 
in  a  straight  line.  A  gnat  floating  above 
my  nose  looked  larger. 

"  It  depends,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  on  the 
point  of  view.  There  is  much  to  live 
for;"  and  I  lighted  a  cigarette  and 
jumped  up. 


24     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

The  Duke  of  Taxil  was  staring  at  me 
from  the  porch. 

"  Good  afternoon,"  said  I,  "  did  you 
sleep  well?" 

"  I  Ve  been  ringing  and  ringing,"  said 
the  Duke,  "because  I  want  a  siphon  of 
seltzer."  He  placed  his  hand  upon  the 
back  of  his  head  as  he  spoke. 

His  Grace  of  Taxil  was  feeling  the 
Burgundy. 

I  went  across  the  road,  through  the 
garden,  and  called  Obadiah. 

"  Get  the  club-soda  and  the  cognac," 
I  said  ;  and,  turning  to  the  Duke  ;  "  the 
sun  is  very  powerful  to-day ;  it  seems  to 
me, — if  I  may  venture  to  suggest, — that 
the  bear-skin  dragoon's  busby  you  wear 
is  a  little  heavy  for  the  season." 

"  It's  the  head-gear  of  my  regiment," 
he  answered  sulkily. 

When  the  brandy  and  soda  was  brought 
he  swallowed  it  in  silence,  raising  his  eyes 
piously  and  placing  one  hand  upon  his 
bosom  as  the  glass  was  slowly  inverted. 

"  Urn  !  A— h  ! "  said  his  Grace  of  Taxil, 
"I  fancy  I  did  it  justice; — fiat  Justitia, 


An  Alarming  Prospect.          25 

mat  ccelum  you  know, — I  '11  have  an- 
other." 

"  Est  modus  in  rebus,"  said  I,  "  one  will 
cure  your  headache,  two  will  double  it." 

"  You  are  right  my  friend  ; — I  did  n't 
know  you  spoke  Latin." 

"  I  don't,"  said  I, — "  I  know  enough  to 
say  that,  but  that 's  nothing,  and  you  know, 
ex  nihilo  nihil  fit.  Is  his  Majesty  still 
asleep?" 

After  a  moment  the  Duke  of  Taxil 
wiped  his  beard  with  his  handkerchief  and 
muttered  something  about  "  a  fool  of  a 
King." 

"It  has  been  a  great  honor  to  meet 
you  all,"  I  replied,  for  I  saw  that  he  felt 
the  disgrace  keenly. 

"You  probably  never  would  have  met 
us  had  we  not  sunk  to  this,"  said  the  Duke, 
with  that  innate  tact  peculiar  alike  to 
Boznovian  and  British  noblemen. 

"True,"  said  I  cheerfully,  "until  I 
came  here  I  never  heard  of  Boznovia." 

The  Duke  of  course  took  this  as  a  con- 
fession of  culpable  ignorance. 

"  Education  in  the  United  States  is  not 


26      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

compulsory  I  believe,"  he  said,  pouring 
out  another  brandy  and  soda  and  blinking 
his  puffy  eyes.  "  It's  different  with  us." 

"  Rem  acu  tetigisti,"  I  replied  smiling, 
"  it 's  different  with  you." 

"  Now  what  the  devil  does  that  mean  ?  " 
said  the  Duke. 

"Oh  it's  Latin,"  said  I,  "a  mere  mat- 
ter of  education  you  know." 

At  this  juncture  the  King  arrived,  heavy 
eyed,  rumpled  and  shockingly  thirsty.  I 
ordered  more  brandy  and  soda. 

"  I  '11  go  no  further  to-night,"  growled 
the  King,  eyeing  his  Grace  of  Taxil  malev- 
olently. He  was  still  drunk,  but,  under 
his  mask  of  ostentatious  inebriation,  I 
fancied  I  could  detect  a  deeper  current 
of  bitterness  and  humiliation. 

"  I  trust  I  shall  have  the  honor  of  your 
Majesty's  company  to  night,"  I  said. 

"  Oh  you  will,"  sneered  the  Duke,  "  and 
you  '11  probably  have  it  for  the  rest  of  the 
week." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  demanded  the  King  ; 
"  I  'm  tired  and  this  is  a  good  inn, — good 
enough  for  a  drunken  outcast,  eh,  Taxil  ?  " 


An  Alarming  Prospect.         27 

"  But,"  I  began— 

"  I  say  it's  a  good  inn,"  repeated  the 
King ;  "  I  'm  not  particularly  anxious  to 
see  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  He  '11  prob- 
ably be  disagreeable,  won't  he,  Taxil  ?  " 

"  You  expect  to  stay  a  week  ?  "  I  asked 
desperately. 

"  Probably,"  said  the  King,  "  unless  you 
turn  me  away." 

"  Perhaps  a  month,"  suggested  the  Duke 
maliciously. 

-"  Or  two,"  added  the  King. 

"This,"  said  I,  "is  not  an  inn — " 

"  It  's  good  enough  for  me,"  said  the 
King,  sniffing  the  odour  from  the  kitchen 
where  Obadiah  was  broiling  trout. 

"  For  me,  too,"  said  Taxil,  "  and  if  it  's 
good  enough  for  us  it  's  good  enough  for 
Babu." 

"  How  do  you  suppose  that  I  am  going 
to  provide  three  or  four  meals  a  day  for 
five  people  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"Oh,"  said  the  King  vaguely,  "Babu 
does  n't  eat  much  ;  he 's  in  his  cups  most 
of  the  time.  That  leaves  meals  for  only 
four." 


28     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"And  your  negro, — he  need  n't  eat 
much  ; — that  makes  meals  for  only  three," 
said  Taxil  with  a  bitter  smile. 

"  Do  you  eat  a  great  deal  ?  "  suggested 
the  King  looking  at  me. 

"  I  eat  what  I  need,"  I  replied,  intensely 
annoyed. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  the  King,  "  don't  put 
yourself  out  for  us  ; — if  you  tell  me  where 
the  cellar  is,  Babu  will  bring  us  what  wine 
we  need."  He  laughed  weakly  but  I  saw 
his  hand  tremble. 

"  I  don't  see,"  I  said,  "  how  your  Ma- 
jesty can  be  comfortable  in  my  house 
without  proper  clothing  and  toilet  neces- 
saries. You  can't  go  about  the  country 
with  a  heavy  silver  helmet  on  your  head  ; 
— his  Grace  of  Taxil  can't  be  comfortable 
in  that  fur  busby  and  gold-slashed  uni- 
form,— his  Grace  of  Babu  will  be  wretched 
if  he  goes  around  wearing  his  admiral's 
uniform  and  cocked  hat— 

"  It  's  not  an  admiral's  uniform,"  said 
the  King,  "  it  's  a  vice-admiral's  uniform." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  I.  The 
Boznovian  navy  consisted  of  one  despatch 


An  Alarming  Prospect.         29 

boat  on  an  inland  body  of  water  with  no 
outlet  to  the  ocean.  I  did  not  see  the 
necessity  for  such  accuracy.  "  I  beg  your 
pardon,"  I  repeated,  "  I  only  intended  to 
demonstrate  that  your  Majesty  would  be 
more  comfortable  in  Austria." 

"  Oh  we  have  some  baggage  with  us," 
replied  the  King,  carelessly  ;  "  Babu  and 
Taxil  brought  toilet  articles  and  that  sort 
of  thing.  Can  you  lend  me  a  shooting 
cap  ?  " 

"  I  also  should  be  glad  of  a  hat,"  ob- 
served Taxil. 

"  Your  King  will  be  served  first,"  said 
his  Majesty,  with  a  drunken  laugh,  and 
reached  for  my  shooting  cap  which  was 
lying  on  the  chair  beside  me.  I  declined 
the  offer  of  his  helmet  and  paced  the 
piazza  moodily  until  Babu  came  out  car- 
rying half  a  dozen  of  my  hats,  a  straw 
relic  of  London,  a  wide-awake  from  Sofia, 
a  crush  hat  from  Paris,  and  several  shoot- 
ing and  fishing  caps,  one  or  two  bristling 
with  trout-flies.  Taxil  appropriated  a 
straw  hat  at  once,  while  Babu  crammed 
the  wide-awake  over  his  ears  and  gaped 


30     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

at  the  King.  It  was  all  like  some  hideous 
opera  bouffe. 

"  Help  yourselves,  gentlemen,"  said  I, 
contemptuously. 

The  King  noted  my  tone. 

"That  is  true,"  he  said,  "we  have  n't 
left  you  anything  except  shooting  caps, 
but  I  '11  send  you  a  dozen  from  Vienna, 
if  I  don't  die  of  alcoholism  before  I  get 
there." 

At  that  instant  Obadiah  announced  din- 
ner and  we  all  trooped  in,  the  King  first, 
Babu  and  Taxil  following  and  squabbling 
about  something  or  other, — and  I  bring- 
ing up  the  rear. 

They  cleaned  that  table  to  the  last 
crumb  !  Each  demanded  a  whole  bottle 
of  claret  for  himself, — I  was  wasting  no 
more  Burgundy, — and  they  smoked  my 
cigars  and  they  guzzled  my  cognac  and 
Scotch  whiskey  until  I  thought  that  if 
this  was  to  be  repeated  every  day,  my 
ruin  was  merely  a  matter  of  time. 

The  King  was  in  good  spirits,  but  he 
was  fearfully  intoxicated.  He  rallied  Taxil 
on  the  disgraceful  flight  of  the  cavalry  and 


An  Alarming  Prospect.         31 

taunted  Babu  with  the  unheroic  conduct 
of  the  sailors  at  the  Genghis  Pass.  Taxil 
replied  hotly,  but  Babu,  already  stupefied 
with  wine,  regarded  the  King  with  an 
apathetic  stare. 

The  King  brushed  the  crumbs  and  wine 
splotches  from  the  front  of  his  uniform 
where  rows  of  little  orders  and  medals 
tinkled  with  every  movement.  He  offered 
to  decorate  me  with  the  order  of  the  Blue 
Griffin,  "for,"  said  he,  "no  cook  in 
Belgarde  ever  prepared  such  trout  or  such 
sauce." 

I  declined,  observing  that  I  was  not  a 
culinary  expert  and  had  no  ambition  to 
receive  the  Cordon  Bleu. 

14  Not  Cordon  Bleu,— Blue  Griffin,"  ex- 
plained his  Majesty  ;  "don't  you  want  it, 
landlord  ?  " 

"  I  have  requested  your  Majesty  not  to 
call  me  landlord,"  I  said  shortly ;  "  give 
the  Blue  Griffin  to  Obadiah  if  you  wish 
to  decorate  a  cook." 

So  the  King  gravely  unfastened  the 
jewelled  order,  beckoned  to  Obadiah,  and 
placed  it  in  his  shaking  hand.  This  com- 


32      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

pletely  destroyed  the  tottering  equilibrium 
of  the  darkey's  mind.  He  imagined  him- 
self something  or  other  by  the  Grace  of 
God  and  he  walked  with  a  sort  of  prance 
as  though  he  were  leading  armies  and  all 
the  bands  were  playing  "  Hail  Obadiah  ! " 
That  night  too,  he  looted  the  hot-house 
melon  vines,  and  I  took  it  out  of  his  hide 
next  morning,  which  reality  brought  him 
back  to  earth. 

"  I  don't  object  to  you  wearing  the 
Blue  Griffin,"  I  said,  "  but  you  are  to 
understand  that  it 's  a  cook's  decoration 
and  carries  neither  patent  of  nobility  nor 
any  special  dispensation  to  rifle  my  melon 
vines.  I  think  you  comprehend  this  now, 
do  you  not  ?  " 

Obadiah  caressed  the  seat  of  his  trousers. 

"  Go,"  said  I,  "  and  see  that  the  '  sumpt- 
shus  King '  is  not  nosing  about  for  the 
cellar  keys.  If  I  miss  a  single  bottle  that 
has  not  been  sent  for  by  me,  I  '11  hold  you 
responsible.  Go  ! ' ' 

Obadiah  left  hurriedly,  rolling  his  eyes. 

I  had  set  that  day  aside  for  a  few  hours' 
trout  fishing  along  the  upper  reaches  of 


An  Alarming  Prospect.         33 

the  Tschiska.  I  also  intended  to  build  a 
little  on  one  of  the  sheltering  break- 
waters which  I  was  constructing  to  secure 
calm  water  and  gravel  for  spawning  beds. 
So  I  had  my  luncheon  with  me,  a  pint  of 
Rhenish  and  a  bit  of  cold  fowl,  and  I  also 
took  a  light  brush  fowling-piece,  for  foxes 
had  been  worrying  the  birds  lately,  and  I 
had  no  mercy  on  them. 

As  I  passed  the  porch  the  King  an- 
swered my  greeting  very  civilly  and  asked 
where  I  was  going.  I  told  him.  He  must 
have  gotten  the  impression  that  I  was 
going  trout  fishing  solely  in  order  to  sup- 
ply him  and  Taxil  and  Babu  with  their 
favorite  delicacy,  for  he  suggested  a  net 
as  a  valuable  instrument  for  securing  a 
mass  of  food  with  the  minimum  of  toil. 
I  explained.  Then  he  wanted  to  go  fish- 
ing himself  and  pointed  at  the  rods  lying 
in  a  corner  of  the  porch,  but  I  dis- 
couraged his  project  as  best  I  could,  for  I 
had  no  intention  of  turning  the  monarch 
loose  on  my  carefully  cherished  preserves. 

Taxil,  who  sat  under  the  fig  trees, 
whispering  to  Babu,  looked  up  and  inti- 


34     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

mated  that  it  might  be  agreeable  to  shoot 
a  few  pheasants  for  a  change. 

"  Of  course,"  said  I  scornfully,  "  you 
know  the  season  is  close  and  the  hens 
have  chickens  ?  " 

"  What  of  it,"  said  Taxil,  "game  out  of 
season  goes  well." 

I  scowled.  These  pheasants  had  cost 
me  on  an  average,  five  pounds  apiece  so 
far  and  the  experiment  was  only  beginning. 
So  I  scowled  at  Taxil  and  walked  to  the 
edge  of  the  lawn. 

"  It  is  impossible,"  I  said  without  cere- 
mony ;  "  luncheon,  tea,  and  dinner  will  be 
ready  when  you  order  them.  My  ser- 
vant is  under  your  Majesty's  orders;"  and 
I  walked  away  toward  the  forest. 

Before  I  reached  the  rocky  path  that 
leads  across  to  the  swift  flowing  Tschiska, 
I  could  hear,  far  behind,  the  King,  bawl- 
ing for  Obadiah  and  brandy.  I  was  not 
nervous  ;  I  had  left  a  certain  amount  of 
liquor  in  the  butler's  pantry,  but  the  cel- 
lar keys  were  in  my  own  pocket. 

"  Let  him  bawl,"  said  I  to  myself. 


CHAPTER   III. 

A  VOICE  IN  THE  FOREST. 

I  WALKED  on  through  the  noble  fir 
forest,  puffing  my  pipe  and  looking 
out  for  any  stray  grouse  or  pheasant, 
for  I  loved  to  watch  my  birds  as  a  shep- 
herd watches  his  flock.  The  pheasants 
rarely  came  into  the  fir  woods;  the  grouse 
did  sometimes  come  but  seldom  stayed. 
There  was  one  game  bird,  however,  that 
seemed  to  fancy  the  firs,  and  of  this  bird 
I  saw  a  fair  number  as  I  strolled  along, 
smoking  my  pipe  and  sniffing  the  balsam 
saturated  air.  It  was  one  of  my  experi- 
ments, this  game  bird, — a  cross  between 
the  prairie  chicken  and  the  domestic 
Guinea  fowl.  And  it  proved  a  wonder- 
ful success,  lying  close  to  a  dog,  flushing 
in  perfect  form,  wintering  well,  and  feed- 
ing on  berries  and  maize  until  almost  too 

35 


36      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

plump  to  fly.  It  had  none  of  the  mad- 
dening tricks  of  the  Guinea  fowl  either, 
so  I  was  more  than  satisfied,  as  I  watched 
these  heavy,  strong  winged  birds,  whirr 
up  from  the  thickets  and  go  spinning 
down  the  dim  wooded  forest  aisles. 

And  as  I  walked  I  thought  of  the  King 
as  I  had  left  him,  heavy  jawed,  leaden 
eyed,  bawling  for  brandy.  I  knew  his 
history, — most  people  know  it  I  dare  say. 
Suddenly  hustled  from  his  little  independ- 
ent Duchy  of  Taximbourg  by  Austria  and 
Germany,  he  had  been  thrust,  despite  the 
menacing  growl  of  Russia,  upon  the  va- 
cant throne  of  Boznovia.  Theobald  of 
Taximbourg  came  from  a  sodden  unin- 
telligent line  of  Princes  noted  chiefly  for 
their  intemperance  and  poverty. 

From  the  crusading  junketings  of  the 
early  Theobalds,  his  ancestors  had  been 
noted  for  the  freedom  with  which  they 
supplied  themselves  with  heirs,  and  the 
bar-sinistre  played  the  important  part  in 
their  quarterings,  to  the  physical  and 
mental  detriment  of  the  Taximbourgs. 
It  told  too  in  their  professional  pastimes, 


A  Voice  in  the  Forest.         37 

for  all  of  the  Taximbourgs  were  better 
blacksmiths,  clock-menders,  gardeners,  and 
carpenters,  than  they  were  Princes. 

The  present  King,  it  was  rumored, 
was  the  offspring  of  a  Taximbourg  and  a 
complacent  circus-rider.  There  may  have 
been  no  truth  in  it,  for  the  King  cut  a 
sorry  figure  on  horseback  and  bon  chien 
chasse  de  race. 

He  made  a  bad  mess  of  it  on  the  Boz- 
novian  throne,  although  his  aunt  de  facto, 
the  Dowager  Duchess  von  Schwiggle, 
worked  like  a  Trojan,  stormed  like  a 
griffin,  and,  as  some  ill  natured  people 
added,  swore  like  a  pirate  to  keep  him 
there.  But  what  can  an  old  lady,  al- 
though she  be  a  Dowager,  a  Duchess,  and 
a  von  Schwiggle,  do  against  the  insidious 
machinations  of  that  vast  hell  of  intrigue 
called  Russia  ?  First  of  all  came  the 
Russo-Afghan  trouble,  which  at  one  mo- 
ment brought  England  and  Russia  face 
to  face.  British  lion  and  Russian  bear 
leered  at  each  other  and  snarled  for  a 
week,  but  the  time  had  not  yet  come,  and 
the  death  clinch  was  postponed.  But  in 


38      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

that  brief  week,  King  Theobald  of  Bozno- 
via  gave  himself  away  by  entertaining  the 
British  Minister  at  an  extraordinary  ban- 
quet, and  Russia  never  forgot  it.  Then 
came  the  Servian-Bulgarian  war,  and  King 
Theobald,  instead  of  minding  his  business, 
interfered  and  brought  all  the  Balkan 
states  about  his  ears,  buzzing  like  infuri- 
ated wasps.  Servia  never  forgot  that 
either,  so  when  the  time  came,  and  Russia 
gave  the  signal,  Servia  fell  upon  Boznovia 
and  played  the  mischief  with  King  Theo- 
bald. The  campaign  had  been  ludicrously 
brief — a  few  weeks'  skirmishing  and  the 
fiasco  at  the  Genghis  Pass  had  aided  the 
Russian  secret  agents  in  Belgarde,  and 
when  King  Theobald  rushed  madly  from 
the  Genghis  Pass  to  his  capital  of  Bel- 
garde,  he  found  a  frenzied  populace  en- 
thusiastically waiting  to  run  him  out  of 
town  and  across  the  frontier.  And  while 
they  were  about  it  they  evidently  decided 
to  make  a  clean  sweep,  for  they  hustled 
the  corrupt  Duke  of  Taxil  and  his  bibu- 
lous Grace  of  Babu  over  the  frontier  to 
keep  the  King  company,  and  advised  them 


A  Voice  in  the  Forest.         39 

for  their  skin's  sake,  to  point  their 
noses  toward  Austria  and  follow  them 
diligently. 

The  Austrian  Emperor  was  furious, 
partly  because  his  protege  had  been 
mauled,  partly  because  he  knew  that  now 
he  should  have  to  support  him.  He  ut- 
tered terrible  threats  and  ostentatiously 
mobilized  two  army  corps.  But  he  got 
small  encouragement  from  the  Triple  Alli- 
ance, for  Italy  openly  jeered  him  and  the 
German  Emperor  was  too  busy  compos- 
ing an  opera,  to  bother  about  Boznovia. 

That  settled  King  Theobald,  and,  after 
a  half  hearted  attempt  to  drag  Bulgaria 
to  his  rescue,  he  gave  it  up,  gathered  up 
his  bundles,  and  started  for  the  Austrian 
frontier. 

Poor  fellow  !  The  Servian  police  had 
warned  me  that  he  might  pass  my  way, 
but  I  never  expected  to  see  him  so  utterly 
destitute  and  without  servants  or  baggage. 
"Those  Balkan  people  can  be  as  savage 
as  any  Turk  when  they  make  up  their 
minds,"  I  thought,  remembering  Major 
Panitza  and  StamboulofF. 


40      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

And  as  I  walked,  my  gun  swinging 
lightly  from  my  shoulders,  my  gaiters 
scraping  the  ivy  crowned  thickets,  shower- 
ing my  shoes  with  fragrant  dew,  I  felt  a 
tenderness,  a  deep  pity  for  these  outcasts 
who  had  taken  possession  of  my  house, 
and  I  determined  to  let  them  enjoy  them- 
selves as  they  pleased. 

"  What  's  a  trout  or  two  ?"  I  argued  ; 
"  the  King  may  take  my  rod  if  he  likes  ; 
I  '11  tell  him  so.  But  I  draw  the  line  on 
netting  trout,-- -and  on  slaughtering  breed- 
ing pheasants.  I  '11  just  give  him  a  chance 
at  the  Guinea  grouse  if  that  will  amuse 
him.  Yes,  and  I  '11  let  him  shoot  red- 
deer  and  chamois  if  he  cares  to, — and  he 
may  have  a  try  at  a  Carpathian  bear  too." 

So  I  walked  on,  pitying  the  lot  of  the 
tramp  King,  deciding  to  give  their  Graces 
of  Babu  and  Taxil  my  cellar  keys  and  let 
them  drink  themselves  to  death  if  they 
pleased.  And  all  the  while  I  kept  my 
eyes  open  for  the  Guinea  grouse,  and  my 
ears  open  for  the  quhit  !  quhit  !  quhit!-t-t! 
whir-r !  of  the  rising  game. 

The  fir  woods  had  given  place  to  more 


A  Voice  in  the  Forest.         41 

open  groves  of  walnut,  chestnut,  and  lin- 
den ;  the  ivy  grew  thicker  among  the 
roots  and  underbrush,  and  broad  patches 
of  sunny  ferns  and  brake  clustered  along 
the  path  now  cut  by  a  mountain  torrent, 
now  by  a  carrefour,  deserted  and  partly 
overgrown. 

On  the  soft  loam  along  the  spring  brooks' 
bank  I  saw  the  tiny  heart-shaped  print  of 
the  red-deer  and  the  broader  impression 
of  the  stag.  A  wild-boar  too  had  been 
that  way,  a  sow,  I  took  it,  followed  close 
by  her  little  fierce  long  bristled  piggies. 
Once,  passing  a  salt  lick,  I  saw  the  human- 
like mark  of  a  bear's  foot,  and,  a  little 
further  on,  a  dozen  perfect  imprints  where 
a  wild-cat  had  marched  around  in  a  bit  of 
swampy  ground  and  had  sharpened  his 
nails  on  a  young  tchozza  tree. 

"  A  tom-cat,"  I  mused,  "  preparing  a 
serenade  for  Mrs.  Pussie  to-night.  They  '11 
probably  dine  on  one  of  my  grouse." 

When  at  last  I  came  to  the  Tschiska 
River,  I  unstrapped  my  gun,  flung  my 
creel  and  rod  on  the  moss,  and  sat  down 
to  wipe  the  perspiration  from  neck  and 


42      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

chin.  Then  I  bathed  head  and  face  and 
wrists  in  the  sweet  icy  stream,  drinking 
long  deep  draughts,  spirting  the  water 
from  my  mouth  like  a  triton  at  play,  bur- 
rowing luxuriously  into  the  silvery  bottom 
sands  with  both  hands,  until  the  little 
trout  fry  along  the  bank  scuttled  far  and 
near  in  dire  dismay. 

A  Russian  sable  peered  cunningly  at 
me  from  a  cleft  in  the  rocks,  wrinkled  its 
nose,  sniffed,  and  withdrew  hurriedly.  A 
great  white  alpine  butterfly  with  brick  red 
spots  on  its  wings,  fluttered  about  me  fear- 
lessly, finally  alighting  on  one  of  my  wet 
shoes.  I  watched  it  uncoil  its  proboscis 
and  begin  a  capricious  luncheon  from  the 
moisture  glistening  on  my  gaiters.  The 
wood-flies  and  saw-flies  filled  the  dim 
woods  with  their  buzzing  ;  jewelled  spiders 
wove  in  the  sun,  watching  for  gnats,  or 
scuttled  in  and  out  among  the  galleries 
of  their  gossamer  labyrinths.  Somewhere 
near  by,  a  thrifty  wood-mouse  was  busy 
among  the  beetles  in  a  rotten  log,  and, 
high  above  the  pines  on  the  cliffs,  I  heard 
the  squealing  of  young  kestrels. 


A  Voice  in  the  Forest.         43 

"The  world,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  is 
very  beautiful  and  kind,"  and  I  bit  a 
piece  from  the  wing  of  a  tender  fowl, 
washing  it  down  with  a  swallow  of  Rhe- 
nish. I  ate  leisurely,  often  pausing  to 
watch  the  bullet-like  flight  of  some  big 
stag-beetle,  or  the  felonious  efforts  of  the 
small  field  mouse  to  abstract  my  bread 
from  the  paper  parcel  near  me.  Bottle 
in  one  hand,  bread  in  the  other,  I  listened 
to  the  melody  of  bird  music  and  the 
music  of  the  brook  bubbling  over  pebbly 
pools,  and  I  smelled  the  fresh  smell  of 
earth  and  leaf  and  water,  until  my  heart 
was  full  of  tenderness  for  everything.  So 
I  gave  the  mouse  the  rest  of  my  bread. 

A  few  rods  below  me,  jutting  straight 
out  into  the  stream,  was  a  small  break- 
water that  I  had  begun.  It  was  designed 
to  secure  a  still  deep  backwater,  gradually 
shallowing  toward  the  foot  of  the  pool, 
where  the  trout  could  spawn  in  peace 
among  the  gravel  and  pebbles  of  the 
bottom. 

When  I  had  eaten  my  luncheon  I  washed 
my  face  and  hands  and  went  down  to  the 


44      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

half  finished  dam.  Under  the  bank  I 
found  my  cement  and  trowel,  and  very 
quickly  I  mixed  some  water-proof  cement, 
picked  out  a  dozen  stones  of  the  proper 
shape  and  size,  and  began  to  work,  whis- 
tling softly. 

The  little  fishes  swam  up  to  the  rock 
where  I  stood,  goggling  their  big  round 
eyes,  opening  and  shutting  their  mouths 
as  if  in  amazement. 

"  Public  improvements,"  said  I,  glan- 
cing at  them  ;  "it's  all  for  your  benefit 
my  friends." 

A  grayling,  its  splendid  dorsal  fin  cut- 
ting the  water,  its  iridescent  sides  a-glitter, 
sailed  solemnly  past,  turned  at  a  sound 
from  me,  and  disappeared  like  a  streak  of 
pearl-colored  flame. 

"  Bonne  chance !  "  I  laughed,  "  you  will 
weigh  two  pounds  by  August ! " 

A  school  of  tiny  trout  had  already  con- 
gregated in  the  quiet  pool  below  the 
break-water,  and  there  they  lay  in  ranks, 
motionless  save  for  an  almost  impercept- 
ible swelling  and  relaxing  of  the  spotted 
gills. 


A  Voice  in  the  Forest.         45 

"  They  '11  grow,"  thought  I,  "  so  here  s 
health  to  them  !  "  and  I  scooped  up  a  cup- 
ful of  water  from  the  pool  and  drank  it ; 
whereat  the  little  trout  turned  tail  and  fled. 

I  used  up  what  cement  I  had  prepared  ; 
the  break-water  had  grown  a  little  higher 
and  longer ;  so  I  tucked  my  tools  away 
in  their  hiding  place  beneath  the  bank, 
rinsed  my  hands,  and  went  back  to  get 
my  rod  for  a  cast  or  two  in  the  larger 
pools  above. 

These  pools  were  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
up  stream.  There  was  a  disused  wood- 
road,  which  ran  along  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  Tschiska,  connecting  ten  miles 
through  the  forest  with  the  Taxil  high- 
road ;  so  I  picked  up  my  rod  and  landing 
net,  slung  my  light  fowling-piece  over  my 
shoulder,  and,  crossing  the  Tschiska  on 
the  rocks,  struck  into  the  wood-road, 
whistling  merrily. 

"What  a  fool  I  should  have  been," 
thought  I,  "to  have  gone  into  the  army 
and  lived  the  dog's  life  of  a  gentleman 
ranker,  just  because  the  most  beautiful 
woman  on  earth  broke  my  heart." 


46      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Overhead  a  big  raven  croaked  approval. 
I  looked  up,  and,  as  I  looked,  another 
raven  winged  its  way  across  my  path,  and 
then  another  and  yet  more,  "all  croaking 
approval,"  I  thought  to  .myself,  watching 
the  last  one  flapping  by. 

Six  ravens  !  And  the  old  rhyme  rang 
in  my  ears : 

' '  One  is  a  warning, 

Two  are  mirth, 
Three  in  the  morning 

Bring  Death  to  Earth. 
Four  ravens  flying 

Announce  a  birth  ; 
Ravens  five  bring  sorrow  anew, 

Six  black  ravens, — a  bride  for  you." 

11  A  bride  !"  I  laughed  grimly,  "  where 
is  she,  O  raven  prophets  ?  "  And  I  looked 
around  with  an  ugly  sneer. 

Hark  !  From  somewhere  in  the  forest 
came  a  sound,  distant,  vague,  now  clearer, 
now  indistinct.  And  now  again  it  came, 
faint  but  unmistakable,  a  human  voice,  a 
dull  halloo,  quavering,  dying  away  in  the 
wilderness.  At  the  sound  of  that  far  cry 
my  heart  stood  still,  then  beat  furiously, 
leaping  up  and  setting  all  my  pulses 


A  Voice  in  the  Forest.         47 

bounding  ;  for,  in  my  breast  the  echo  of 
a  voice,  long  silent,  had  responded  in 
spite  of  me.  And  I  looked  at  my  feet 
and  I  saw  the  shadow  of  the  past  floating 
upon  the  ground. 

"  Because,"  said  I  furiously,  "  some  lost 
fool  is  calling  for  help  in  the  woods,  I 
forsooth  must  hear  in  that  voice  the  tones 
of  her  voice!  Is  this  to  go  on  ?  Am  I 
always  going  to  gape  and  shake  when  a 
strange  voice  is  raised  in  the  world  ? 
Why  in  God's  name  can't  I  learn  to 
forget!" 

And  I  sullenly  unslung  my  gun  and 
fired  both  barrels. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    DUCHESS    TAKES    A    DRIVE. 

SCARCELY  had  the  crashing  echoes 
of  my  shots  died  out  among  the 
trees  when  an  answering  hail  came  back, 
the  heavy  hail  of  a  man's  voice,  and  I 
flung  my  gun  across  my  shoulder  and 
hastened  forward  along  the  wood-road. 

As  I  pressed  on,  the  hails  became  more 
frequent  and  intelligible,  the  voice  of  a 
man  bellowing  in  the  language  I  most 
detest, — German  ;  and  I  answered  cheer- 
ingly  as  I  passed  lightly  through  the 
forest. 

"Idiot,"  I  thought  to  myself,  "as  far 
as  I  can  make  out  he  's  in  the  wood-road 
itself.  Why  does  n't  he  come  to  meet 
me  ?  "  Then,  as  I  rounded  a  curve  of  the 
road,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  horse's  head, 
and,  in  a  moment  more  I  came  in  sight  of 
a  strange  group. 

48 


The  Duchess  Takes  a  Drive.    49 

A  big  closed  carriage,  old  fashioned 
and  shabby,  stood  wedged  among  the 
trees  of  a  wind-fall.  On  the  ground,  in 
front  of  the  horses'  heads,  sat  a  red  faced 
old  gentleman,  flourishing  and  vainly  at- 
tempting to  fire  a  horse-pistol.  He  was 
also  bellowing  at  the  top  of  his  lungs. 
When  he  saw  me  he  stopped  bellowing, 
cast  his  pistol  angrily  into  the  road,  and 
began  to  talk  German  very  fast. 

"  Stop  ! "  said  I  pleasantly  but  firmly  ; 
"  I  speak  English  and  French  and  some 
Italian." 

At  the  sound  of  my  voice  another  man 
thrust  his  head  from  the  curtained  carriage 
window  and  ejaculated  ;  "  Herr  Je  ! " 

"You  are  mistaken,"  said  I,  settling 
my  cap  and  wiping  my  forehead,  "  my 
name  is  Steen.  If  you  can  talk  English 
talk  it."  Then,  looking  more  narrowly  at 
the  head  thrust  from  the  carriage  window, 
I  saw  that  it  was  not  a  man's  head  after 
all,  but  the  forbidding  countenance  of  a 
woman — a  regular  grenadier  of  a  woman. 
I  removed  my  cap  in  some  confusion  and 
murmured,  "  Pardon  madame." 


50      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

The  fat  red-faced  old  gentleman  who 
had  been  eyeing  me  in  amazement  now 
waddled  up  and  placed  his  mouth  close 
to  my  ear. 

"That,"  said  he,  "is  the  Dowager 
Duchess  von  Schwiggle  !  " 

"  I  thought,"  said  I,  whispering  in  my 
turn  close  to  his  ear,  "  that  it  was  a  trooper 
of  the  body  guard.  Will  you  assure 
Madame  the  Duchess  of  my  devotion  and 
beg  her  to  dispose  of  my  services  ?  " 

We  had  been  talking  in  French.  If  I 
spoke  it  as  badly  as  he  did,  purgatory 
should  be  my  portion. 

"  General !"  cried  the  Dowager  Duch- 
ess. 

The  fat  man  waddled  hurriedly  to  the 
carriage  window.  After  a  few  moments 
whispered  consultation,  during  which  both 
the  Duchess  and  the  General  cast  stealthy 
glances  at  me,  the  General  again  came 
over  to  where  I  stood. 

"  I  am  General  Bombwitz,  Chief  of 
Staff  of  the  Boznovian  army,"  he  said, 
puffing  his  mottled  cheeks  into  demi- 
balloons.  "  Come  with  me, — you  are  to 


The  Duchess  Takes  a  Drive.    51 

be  honored  by  a  presentation  to  the 
Duchess." 

"  This,"  said  I,  "  is  too  much  honor, — 
it  is  indeed  !  " 

"  Compose  yourself,"  said  the  General. 

"  I  am  no  coward,"  said  I,  "  sound  the 
charge ! " 

"Young  sir,"  said  the  Duchess,  speak- 
ing in  French  that  echoed  through  my 
head  like  the  roar  of  a  drill-sergeant,  "  on 
you  we  count  to  extricate  us  from  this 
forest." 

"  Ah,"  I  murmured,  "you  are  lost  then, 
Madame  la  Duchesse  ?  " 

"  Lost  !  "  repeated  the  Duchess  in  that 
remarkable  booming  voice,  "  Herr  Je  !" 

"It  was  the  Servian's  fault,"  said  Gen- 
eral Bombwitz  gloomily  ;  "he  told  us  to 
take  this  wood-road." 

"  Where  is  the  Servian  ?  "  snapped  the 
Duchess. 

"  Fled,"  replied  General  Bombwitz  ; 
"  he  ran  away  when  he  saw  that  you  were 
annoyed." 

"  And  he  knew  his  business,"  thought 
I,  adding  aloud  ;  "  doubtless  Madame  the 


52      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Duchess  was  on  her  way  to  Belgarde.  The 
Taxil  high-road  will  take  one  to " 

"  I  was  not  on  my  way  to  Belgarde," 
said  the  Duchess,  darting  a  suspicious 
glance  at  me.  Then,  without  asking  par- 
don, she  and  Bombwitz  began  another 
whispered  conference  which  lasted  long 
enough  to  weary  me,  so  I  sat  down  on  a 
log  and  examined  my  gun. 

Presently  the  Duchess  called  to  me  and 
I  rose  and  walked  up  to  the  carriage 
window.  Then  I  noticed  for  the  first 
time  that  there  were  two  other  women  in 
the  carriage,  but  before  I  could  see  them 
distinctly  in  the  half  light  of  the  drawn 
shades,  the  Duchess  spoke  again,  demand- 
ing my  name. 

"Stephen  Steen,"  I  answered  pleasantly. 

There  was  a  movement  in  the  carriage, 
—a  dog  yelped  as  though  suddenly  hus- 
tled, and  the  Duchess  frowned  and  cast  a 
terrible  glance  over  her  shoulder. 

"  Who  stepped  on  Mops?"  she  hissed. 

Silence. 

Then  she  turned  to  me  again.  "  What 
sort  of  a  name  is  that  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Which,— Mops?' 


The  Duchess  Takes  a  Drive.    53 

"  Certainly  not ! "  said  the  Duchess  furi- 
ously,— "  your  own  !" 

"  Madame,"  said  I,  "  it  is  an  honorable 


name." 


"You  keep  an  inn,  do  you  not,"  de- 
manded the  Duchess. 

"My  home,"  said  I,  "but  I  doubt  that 
my  present  guests  are  in  a  position  to 
make  my  fortune  as  an  inn-keeper." 

"  Who  are  your  present  guests,"  asked 
Bombwitz  with  a  cautious  nod  to  the 
Duchess. 

"  Oh  a  King  and  a  few  Dukes,"  I  re- 
plied carelessly. 

There  was  an  interval  of  strained 
silence.  I  thought  I  heard  a  sound  from 
the  interior  of  the  carriage, — a  quickly 
suppressed  snicker ;  I  may  have  been 
mistaken. 

The  Duchess  and  the  General  were  be- 
ginning the  series  of  preliminary  nods  and 
coughs  which  threatened  another  whis- 
pered consultation,  but  I  stopped  it  short. 

"What  is  the  use  of  all  that?"  I  said 
to  General  Bombwitz.  "If  the  Dowager 
Duchess  von  Schwiggle  is  on  her  way  to 
see  her  nephew,  the_  King  of  Boznovia,  I 


54     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

can  direct  her  in  a  moment.  I  'm  no  spy 
nor  do  I  care  tuppence  about  any  of  the 
Balkan  squabbles,  but  I  would  like  to  go 
trout-fishing  if  you  have  nothing  to  ask 
of  me.  If  you  have,  ask  it." 

I  was  not  mistaken, — I  did  hear  a 
snicker  this  time,  but  the  Duchess  sup- 
pressed whatever  sound  it  was,  and  Gen- 
eral Bombwitz  puffed  and  hemmed  and 
walked  around  in  little  circles  like  a 
pigeon. 

"  Inn-keeper," — began  the  Duchess. 

"Madame,"  I  interrupted,  "my  name 
is  Steen,  and  I  am  no  more  of  an  inn- 
keeper than  General  Bombwitz  here.  If 
you  wish  to  see  his  Majesty  you  are  very 
welcome  to  stay  at  my  shooting  box  !  " 

"He's  an  American,"  murmured  the 
General  to  the  Duchess,  "  he  's  probably 
mad,  as  they  all  are." 

"  I  'm  not  afraid  of  a  mad  inn-keeper," 
said  the  Duchess  with  that  evil  sneer  pe- 
culiar to  some  Germans,  and  she  turned 
insolently  to  me  again. 

"  Which  is  the  best  road  to  your  inn," 
she  demanded. 


The  Duchess  Takes  a  Drive.     55 

"  Madame,"  said  I  with  my  most  care- 
ful bow,  "all  roads  lead  to  Rome,  but 
there  is  only  one  that  leads  to  my  home, 
— the  road  of  common  courtesy.  Permit 
me  to  set  you  upon  that  road  "  ;  and  be- 
fore either  Bombwitz  or  the  Duchess 
knew  what  I  was  about,  I  took  the  horses' 
heads,  backed  the  carriage,  lead  it  through 
the  trees  and  around  the  windfall,  into  the 
wood-road  again. 

"Jump  in,"  said  I  to  the  General  who 
came  puffing  and  floundering  through  the 
brush  after  me,  "  it  is  not  far  but  the 
road  is  hard  on  little  fat  legs  ; "  and  I 
gently  propelled  him  into  the  carriage  in 
spite  of  himself.  I  took  the  horses'  heads 
again,  settled  my  gun  on  my  shoulders, 
and  started  on.  Behind  me  I  could  hear 
an  excited  discussion  carried  on  in  whis- 
pers, broken  now  and  then  by  a  smoth- 
ered laugh  or  a  shriek  from  the  trodden 
lap  dog.  Then  the  Duchess'  head  was 
thrust  again  from  the  window. 

I  looked  back,  smiling  affably  into  her 
stony  perplexed  face. 

"  It  is  a  great  honor,  Madame,"  said  I, 


56     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"to  be  able  to  render  the  wohl-geboren 
Duchess  von  Schwiggle  this  little  unim- 
portant service.  We  of  the  new  world 
esteem  it  a  privilege  to  learn  from  the 
old  world  those  little  courtesies  and  atten- 
tions of  which  we  know  so  little.  Ah  !  la 
delicatesse  !  il  faut  la  chercher  en  Alle- 
magne,  Madame  la  Duchesse." 

The  face  of  the  Duchess  was  a  perfect 
blank.  Once  or  twice  she  opened  her 
thin  lips  as  though  to  speak,  but  nothing 
came  of  it,  and  her  heavy  countenance  re- 
lapsed into  its  normal  granite  immobility. 

When  we  came  to  the  ford  at  the  cross- 
ing, I  waded  into  the  Tschiska,  encourag- 
ing the  horses  and  letting  them  drink, — a 
thing  that  the  Germans  behind  had  prob- 
ably never  troubled  themselves  about 
during  the  entire  journey.  Poor  brutes, 
they  plunged  their  soft  dusty  noses  into 
the  stream  and  sucked  and  gurgled  and 
drew  deep  draughts  of  the  sweet  water 
into  their  parched  throats.  I  started  to 
wash  their  heads  and  chests  a  little  and 
the  Duchess'  head  emerged  from  the  car- 
riage again. 


The  Duchess  Takes  a  Drive.    57 

"What  is  the  delay  ?"  she  asked. 

"  Ordinary  humanity,"  I  replied  shortly. 

"  We  are  pressed,"  said  the  Duchess, 
tightening  her  thin  lips. 

I  went  on  bathing  the  horses. 

When  I  was  ready  I  led  the  horses 
safely  across  the  Tschiska,  up  the  bank 
and  into  the  wood-road  again.  Then  I 
sprang  into  the  driver's  seat,  gathered  up 
the  reins,  and  we  trotted  away  at  a  livelier 
pace,  the  road  permitting  it  on  this  side 
of  the  Tschiska. 

Several  times  the  Duchess  and  the 
General  opened  opposite  windows  and 
bawled  at  me,  but  I  paid  no  more  atten- 
tion to  them  and  drove  as  I  pleased,  letting 
the  horses  take  it  easy  when  they  chose. 

At  last  we  turned  into  the  Taxil  high- 
road about  two  miles  above  my  home 
and  the  horses  moved  along  at  a  good 
pace,  for  it  was  all  down  hill  and  the  road 
was  a  military  road.  As  we  came  in  sight 
of  the  white  stone  house  and  the  gardens 
all  blooming  with  great  Turkish  roses, 
acacias,  fig-trees,  and  flowering  almonds, 
I  felt  something  of  that  delightful  sensa- 


58     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

tion  of  home-coming  which  all  exiles  yearn 
for. 

Yes  indeed,  I  had  decided  that  this 
white  house,  tucked  away  in  the  Caspian 
range,  should  be  my  home  ;  and  my  days 
of  wandering  were  to  be  over  at  last. 
North,  south,  east,  west,  the  ponderous 
Caspian  mountains  towered,  blue  with 
the  afternoon  haze  upon  their  flanks,  and 
I  heard  the  west  wind  soughing  through 
the  firs  and  the  whistle  of  martins  in  the 
sky.  The  white  dust  rose  along  the 
flashing  wheels,  the  jingle  of  bit  and  chain 
sounded  pleasantly  in  the  summer  air,  and 
I  bent  from  my  seat,  calling  the  horses 
pet  names  and  talking  the  talk  that  good 
horses  love  to  hear ;  for  I  was  happy  for 
the  first  time  in  years,  and  the  voice  in 
my  ears  and  the  shadow  at  my  feet  had 
vanished. 

So  we  sped  up  to  the  cool  white  house 
where  the  lindens  drooped  and  the  silver- 
pheasant  was  calling ;  and  I  read  above 
my  door  the  words  I  had  written  there  a 
year  before  :  "  Till  the  day  breaks  and 
the  shadows  flee  away." 


The  Duchess  Takes  a  Drive.    59 

"  Had  they  fled?"  I  asked  my  heart, 
as  I  drew  rein  and  the  Duchess  and  the 
General  tumbled  out.  And  my  joyous 
heart  beat :  "  They  have  fled  away." 

"  Come,"  said  the  Duchess  grimly,  peer- 
ing into  the  carriage. 

A  maid  in  a  cap  alighted,  bearing  the 
wretched  lap-dog,  Mops,  and  then — and 
then ! — 

A  great  dizziness  seized  me ;  I  felt  as 
though  the  whole  world  had  slipped  from 
under  me,  for  there, — there,  descending 
from  the  carriage,  smiling,  dainty,  self 
possessed,  was  the  woman  I  had  loved, 
Marjory  Grey ! 

I  heard  my  own  voice  saying,  "  Madge, 
Madge ! "  but  I  did  not  know  I  spoke 
aloud. 

She  turned  deliberately  and  looked 
me  straight  in  the  face.  "  Thank  you 
Mr.  Steen  for  your  very  great  kindness," 
she  said  with  a  daring  smile,  and  in  a 
moment  had  slipped  away  to  join  the 
Duchess  who  was  making  much  of  the 
King  on  the  porch. 

His  Majesty  had  appeared,  hearing  the 


60     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

sound  of  wheels,  but  he  was  not  exactly 
dressed  for  a  reception.  The  Duke  of 
Taxil  had  been  shaving  him — he  was  un- 
able to  do  it  for  himself — and  now  he 
stood  there  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  half 
lathered,  stanching  a  razor-cut  with  one 
hand  and  waving  a  towel  with  the  other, 
while  the  Duchess  encircled  him  in  her 
vigorous  arms  and  embraced  him  enthusi- 
astically on  his  shaven  cheek. 

His  Grace  of  Taxil,  a  mug  of  lather  in 
one  hand,  was  hob-nobbing  with  General 
Bombwitz  while  the  Duke  of  Babu,  stupe- 
fied with  liquor,  gaped  at  everybody, 
including  Mops  and  the  maid. 

Marjory  Grey  looked  about  her,  but 
said  nothing, 

I  was  past  all  speech. 


CHAPTER  V. 

IN    THE    ROSE    GARDEN. 

THE  sun  had  not  yet  pushed  its  crim- 
son disk  above  the  grey  flanks  of 
the  Osman  Peak,  but  I  was  already 
out,  clothed  from  head  to  foot  in  a  warm 
soft  leather  shooting  suit ;  for  the  sum- 
mer mornings  in  the  Caspians  are  chilly, 
and  the  great  dewdrops  on  leaf  and  blos- 
som  tremble   and    splash    like    pools   of 
quicksilver. 

Pushing  through  the  garden  where  the 
scented  roses  slapped  my  face,  soaking 
cap  and  coat,  I  turned  by  the  pheasantry, 
not  heeding  the  insults  of  the  old  silver 
pheasant,  and  came  to  the  abode  of  Oba- 
diah.  He  was  already  up,  grumbling  and 
shuffling  about,  and  I  rapped  on  the  win- 
dow to  summon  him. 

"  'Diah,"  said  I  when  he  appeared, 
"  what  meat  have  we  in  the  ice-house  ? 

61 


62      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

There  must  be  the  better  part  of  the  last 
stag  and  enough  mutton  from  Tiflix  to 
last  until  Constantine  comes." 

"Yessah,"  said  Obadiah  slowly,  "an* 
bofe  de  red-bucks—  "  he  meant  reh-bock, 
— "  an'  de  shammy  am  a  hangin'  an'  a 
frizzin'  on  de  ice." 

"Good;  what  winter  vegetables  have 
you  ?  " 

"'Taters,  sah,  squash  an'  turnips  an' 
sass  in  de  garding,  sah." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "you  must  attend  to 
all  that.  I  '11  see  to  the  horses  ; — those 
Germans  would  never  bother  their  heads. 
Come,  hurry, — you  can  pin  on  your  Blue 
Griffin  decoration  after  dinner.  Remem- 
ber we  have  seven  guests  now,  not  count- 
ing me.  And — er — 'Diah,  you  can  take 
— er — special  pains  with  Miss  Grey's 
dinner." 

"Yessah." 

"  And  you  need  n't  attempt  to  do  the 
rooms, — the  Duchess'  maid  will  attend  to 
Miss  Grey  as  well  as  to  the  Duchess,  and 
the  King  will  have  to  do  his  own  chamber 
work." 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  63 

"  Yessah, — an  de  docks  sah  ?  " 

"  The  Dukes  can  go  to  the  devil ! "  I 
muttered ;  "  has  Georgiades  driven  up 
with  the  milk  this  morning?  Oh  he  has, 
eh  !  And  did  you  tell  him  to  bring  it  for 
eight  to-morrow  ?  Good,  you  do  know 
something,  'Diah,  don't  you  ?  " 

"Yessah,"  said  Obadiah,  casting  a  sly 
glance  at  my  face. 

"  Then  prove  it,"  I  said  cheerily,  and 
walked  through  the  garden  to  the  house 
again. 

When  I  reached  the  porch  I  sank  into 
a  chair  leaning  my  head  on  my  hands.  I 
was  deadly  tired,  but  my  fatigue  came  not 
only  from  having  tossed  through  a  sleep- 
less night  but  also  from  another  reason, — 
despair. 

The  amazing  apparition  of  Marjory 
Grey  in  the  Tiflix  Valley, — here  at  my 
very  door,  had  utterly  crushed  me.  All 
the  evening  I  moved  about  like  a  man  in 
a  trance,  hearing  my  own  voice  as  I  gave 
orders  or  answered  questions,  presiding 
at  table,  attending  to  the  wants  of  the 
hungry  Boznovian  nobility  through  the 


64      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

medium  of  Obadiah,  but  neither  in  voice 
nor  action,  nor  gesture  recognizing  my- 
self, so  shocked  and  dazed  was  I. 

And  at  last  they  had  all  gone  to  bed, 
the  Duchess  and  Marjory  Grey  attended 
by  the  maid,  the  King  to  his  chamber 
where  he  presently  fell  asleep  and  snored 
so  heavily  that  the  Duke  of  Taxil  rapped 
furiously  on  the  floor  with  the  pommel  of 
his  sabre  and  I  heard  him  protesting  at 
intervals  through  the  long  night. 

I  did  not  sleep  ;  I  lay  tossing  among 
the  crumpled  sheets,  and  my  face  was  now 
hot  now  cold  as  the  blood  surged  or 
ebbed  with  my  thoughts.  For  I  was  be- 
ginning to  realize  what  had  happened, — I 
was  beginning  to  understand  what  it 
meant  to  me. 

That  Marjory  Grey  should  be  in  com- 
pany with  the  Dowager  Duchess  von 
Schwiggle  did  not  astonish  me  when  I 
reasoned  it  out,  although  the  last  that  I 
had  seen  or  heard  of  Marjory  was  in  Bar 
Harbor,  Maine. 

Marjory's  father,  a  brilliant  officer  and 
a  widower,  had  taken  service  with  the 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  65 

Khedive  of  Egypt,  in  company  with  half 
a  dozen  other  clever  American  officers 
who  saw  a  chance  for  legitimate  advance- 
ment in  their  profession.  It  was  perhaps 
due  to  Admiral  Hobart  Pasha's  influence 
with  the  Khedive  that  his  younger  friend 
Colonel  Grey  became  Grey  Pasha  of  the 
Egyptian  Staff  and  finally  Military  At- 
tache of  the  Egyptian  Embassy  to  Berlin. 
It  was  in  the  Prussian  capitol  that  Grey 
Pasha  saw  and  loved  and  eloped  with 
Hilda  von  Raupenhelm. 

The  small  earthquake  that  shook  Ger- 
many when  the  news  spread,  threatened 
to  bring  on  international  complications, 
until  the  Dowager  Duchess  von  Schwig- 
gle,  fascinated  by  the  audacity  of  Grey 
Pasha,  declared  that  she  would  leave  the 
couple  all  her  money  and  her  clumsy 
schloss  at  Lauterschnapps  unless  they 
were  forgiven  and  received.  This  tickled 
Bismark  who  patched  up  a  peace ;  and 
Grey  Pasha  took  his  pretty  wife  back  to 
Cairo  and  cabled  his  daughter  to  leave 
her  convent  school  in  Montreal  and  come 
to  Cairo. 

5 


66      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

I  remember  very  well  the  day  I  told 
Madge  I  loved  her.  It  was  during  Christ- 
mas week.  She  was  spending  it  as  usual 
with  her  aunt  in  New  York,  and  I,  as 
usual,  was  at  the  house  every  day  and  all 
day  and  as  late  in  the  evening  as  I  dared. 

She  had  been  very  sweet  to  me,  in  fact 
she  had  consented  to  write  to  her  father 
about  me  in  May  when  she  was  to  leave 
the  convent  forever.  I  hardly  know  now 
what  it  was  that  came  between  us, — a 
shadow  that  at  first  I  refused  to  recognize. 
But  the  shadow  crept  in ;  I  became  anx- 
ious, then  wretched,  and  finally,  when 
she  came  again  at  Easter,  I  spoke. 

At  first  she  only  laughed  at  me,  but 
after  a  while  I  saw  that  her  impatience 
and  even  displeasure  were  no  longer  mis- 
erable fancies  of  mine  and  I  began  to 
believe  that  she  not  only  never  had  loved 
but  that  she  was  incapable  of  loving.  I 
was  mistaken.  I  learned  my  mistake 
when  young  Hamilton  of  the  artillery 
spent  his  month's  leave  at  Bar  Harbor 
that  summer. 

I  suppose  I   acted  like  a  fool, — most 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  67 

men  do  when  their  hearts  break.  Madge 
and  I  were  walking  along  the  shore ;  she 
had  just  received  the  cable,  and  her  aunt 
was  going  to  Cairo  with  her.  She  was 
full  of  the  excitement  of  going  ;  it  was 
perhaps  a  bad  time  to  reproach  her. 
That  evening  was  her  last  at  Bar  Harbor 
and  I  asked  her  to  save  it  for  me.  She 
told  me  that  she  had  promised  Hamilton. 
In  the  ten  minutes  that  followed  I — God 
knows  how ! — stamped  out  the  last  smould- 
ering spark  of  tenderness  that  might  have 
been  left  between  us.  That  was  the  end. 
A  moment  later  Hamilton  and  her  aunt 
came  and  led  her  away.  She  went  with- 
out one  word  or  glance. 

In  the  months  that  followed  I  heard  of 
her  occasionally,  now  in  London,  pre- 
sented at  court,  now  in  Berlin,  chaperoned 
by  the  old  dragon  von  Schwiggle,  now  in 
Cairo  for  the  winter. 

Rumor  had  her  engaged  to  marry  the 
young  Earl  of  Drumgilt,  the  Baron  von 
Allerdings,  the  brilliant  Comte  de  1'Oise  ; 
and  after  a  while,  when  young  Hamilton 
resigned  and  followed  her  to  Cairo,  the 


68     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

papers  said  it  was  a  settled  affair  and 
printed  columns  of  spread-eagle  bunkum 
and  twisted  the  lion's  tail  until  I  could 
bear  no  more  and  I  wandered  away  to  find 
some  place  where  newspapers  and  rumors 
were  unknown. 

It  was  two  years  before  I  believed  that 
I  had  found  that  place,  here  in  the  Cas- 
pian mountains.  And  when  at  last  I 
was  sure  that  I  had  found  it  I  wrote 
above  my  door :  "  Till  the  day  breaks 
and  the  shadows  flee  away "  ;  and  sat 
down  to  battle  with  my  misery. 

A  year  had  passed  and  yesterday  I  told 
myself  that  I  had  forgotten  ; — yesterday 
I  was  happy  for  the  first  time  in  all  those 
years,  but  to-day  ! — At  the  thought  I  sat 
up  and  stared  at  the  fiery  edge  of  the  sun, 
now  peering  above  the  mountains  beyond 
the  Notch. 

Overhead  the  sky  was  drenched  with 
crimson  ;  the  dappled  clouds  absorbed  the 
splendid  dye  and  clustered  along  the  vast 
vault  of  heaven  like  drops  of  blood. 
Flecks  and  shreds  of  fire  streamed  from 
horizon  to  horizon  ;  the  mountain  tops 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  69 

burned  with  a  deeper  hue.  As  yet  the 
chilly  pastures,  dim  in  the  shadows  of  the 
mountain  wall,  sparkled  grey  and  pale 
under  their  lifting  sheets  of  fog,  but,  as 
I  looked  with  sick  eyes  on  the  fair  fresh 
world,  the  meadow  mist  drifted  away  in 
tattered  ribbons,  the  gemmed  grass  glim- 
mered, sparkled,  then  flashed  out  a  million 
rainbow  rays,  and  the  little  meadow  pool 
rippled,  tinted  with  amethyst  and  pearl. 

Everywhere  birds  were  singing,  from 
pasture  and  vineyard,  from  maize-field  and 
forest,  thrushes,  linnets,  finches,  hedge- 
sparrows,  twittering  swallows,  sky-larks, 
caroling  among  the  clouds.  From  the 
orchard  came  the  scream  of  a  rosy-breasted 
jay  and  the  husky  note  of  a  magpie  ;  in 
the  woods  a  cuckoo  called  and  called  until 
'the  whole  forest  was  full  of  echoes  and 
the  valley  rang  with  the  fluty  notes. 

A  drowsy  bee  stumbled  from  its  bed 
in  the  heart  of  a  rose  and  clung  buzzing 
to  the  edge  of  a  leaf,  drying  its  dewy  wings. 
A  great  moth  crept  into  a  spot  of  sun- 
sh*ne  and  sat,  its  brilliant  wings  a-quiver. 

In  the  house  a  door  opened  and  shut ; 


70      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

I  heard  steps  on  the  stairs,  a  shuffle  across 
the  lower  floor,  then  suddenly  a  startling 
crash  as  though  a  hundred  tin  pans  had 
been  kicked  across  the  hallway. 

I  sprang  to  my  feet  and  looked  into 
the  house.  It  was  the  King. 

"  My  confounded  helmet,"  he  said  pee- 
vishly, "fell  off; — I  was  coming  down  for 
a  drink, — the  bell  wire  is  broken  in  my 


room." 


He  stood  in  the  hall,  enveloped  in  an 
ermine  edged  robe,  a  sputtering  candle 
in  one  hand,  a  beer-mug  in  the  other. 
His  big  silver  helmet  lay,  on  the  tiles 
near  the  door.  I  suppose  he  had  put 
it  on  for  warmth. 

"  The  beer  is  in  the  butler's  pantry  is  n't 
it  ?  "  he  said  sleepily. 

"  I  '11  get  it,"  said  I  ;  "be  careful !  your 
dressing  gown  is  all  spotted  with  candle 
wax!" 

"  Dressing  gown  ! "  yawned  the  King, 
"  it 's  my  coronation  robe ;  I  have  n't  a 
dressing  gown  to  my  back.  I  've  got 
another  head  and  an  up-to-date  taste  in 
my  mouth." 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  71 

I  said  ;   "  Do  you  want  some  seltzer  ?  " 

"  No  !  no  !  A  litre  of  Munich  beer  is 
what  I  need.  I  'm  sorry  to  trouble  you  ; 
I  could  n't  sleep, — Taxil  snores  so— 

He  gaped,  coughed,  picked  up  his  hel- 
met and  sat  down  on  the  stairs. 

"  I  'm  sorry  to  trouble  you,"  he  re- 
peated ;  "  if  you  like  I  '11  get  it  myself. 
I  'd  better  begin  to  learn  to  do  a  few 
things  for  myself  I  suppose.  I  may  have 
to  stay  with  you  indefinitely." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  ?  "   I  faltered. 

"  I  'm  sorry  for  you  Mr.  Steen  but  do 
you  know  wb?t  my  aunt  the  Duchess  has 
come  to  tell  me  ?  Why  just  this  :  my 
good  brother  of  Austria  can't  receive  me 
because  Russia  insists  that  I  go  to  Eng- 
land and  says  there  '11  be  war  if  I  don't. 
Now  I  'm  damned  if  I  go  to  England,  so 
there  you  are.  Please  do  get  me  my  beer." 

I  drew  the  homeless  King  into  the 
dining-room  where  there  was  a  fire  and 
called  to  Obadiah  to  bring  a  litre  of  beer. 

"  Now,"  said  I  firmly,  "  let  us  discuss 
this  thing.  Do  you  mean  to  say  Russia 
insists  upon  your  leaving  Europe  ?  " 


72      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"Yes  she  does,"  said  the  King. 

"  Can't  you  go  to  Taximbourg  ?  " 

"  No,  Russia  won't  let  me." 

"  What  about  France  then  ?  " 

"  What  Russia  says,  goes  in  France, 
my  friend.  It 's  no  use,  I  have  gone  over 
all  the  map  of  Europe  and  the  complica- 
tions that  would  ensue  are  enough  to 
make  my  hair  come  out.  I  'd  go  to 
America  if  I  didn't  hate  the  ocean  so. 
Ah,  here  's  the  beer ! " 

He  dipped  his  mottled  nose  into  the 
mug  and  slowly  drained  the  quart  meas- 
ure to  the  last  drop. 

"  Another,"  he  said,  blinking  at  Oba- 
biah,  "  and  then  I  '11  go  back  to  bed." 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  I,  "it  will  be 
difficult  for  me  to  keep  you  here  if  Russia 
objects.  If  the  Russian  spies  don't  know 
you  are  here,  the  Servian  Government 
will  inform  them  and  you  will  be  obliged 
to  leave  sooner  or  later  anyway." 

"  Then  what  am  I  to  do  ?  "  asked  the 
poor  King. 

I  was  touched.  There  really  seemed 
to  be  no  spot  in  the  world  for  him. 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  73 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  said.  "  Believe  me 
I  am  very  willing  to  try  to  keep  you  here, 
but  you  could  not  live  in  comfort  in  such 
a  place.  I  should  think  you  'd  rather  go 
to  England— 

"Have  you  ever  been  in  England?" 
asked  the  King. 

"  I  ?     Oh,  yes—" 

"  Then  why  do  you  suggest  it  ?  " 

"  Why  ?  "  I  repeated,  smiling. 

"  It 's  gloomy  !  "  said  the  King  sulkily. 
"  I  'd  prefer  the  Fortress  of  Peter  and 
Paul !  No,  I  '11  be  hanged  if  I  leave  the 
Balkans.  I  don't  want  to  be  King  any 
more  ;  my  tastes  are  simple  as  the  devil. 
Plain  clothes,  plain  food,  plenty  of  Bur- 
gundy and  Munich  beer,  and  a  sunny 
corner  to  doze  in,  that 's  all  I  want  on 
earth.  It  is  n't  much,  is  it  ?  " 

11  No,"  said  I,  "it  is  n't  much." 

"  My  confounded  aunt  the  Duchess 
von  Schwiggle,  put  me  up  to  all  this  regal 
fol-de-rol.  I  've  no  stomach  for  a  king- 
dom and  less  stomach  for  fighting  to  keep 
it.  My  stomach  and  digestion  are  not 
good  anyway.  Well,  prosit  !  " — drinking 


74      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

deeply — "  I  don't  find  I  can  hold  any 
more  liquid  with  a  crown  on  my  head 
than  with  a  straw  hat.  The  Duchess  can 
say  what  she  pleases.  I  'm  going  to  live 
incognito  and  that  settles  it.  Thank  you 
for  your  trouble,  Mr.  Steen,  I  'm  going 
to  bed  and  I  don't  want  to  be  called 
for  breakfast." 

I  watched  his  Majesty  shuffle  away  and 
mount  the  stairs,  gathering  his  gold  bro- 
caded coronation  robe  around  his  bare 
legs,  but  I  felt  more  like  weeping  than 
like  laughing. 

By  this  time  the  sun's  rays  had  chased 
the  misty  chill  from  the  air ;  the  big  sil- 
ver pheasant  was  screaming  in  the  garden 
and  the  bantam  rooster  answered  him 
from  the  stable. 

Lina,  the  blue-eyed  maid  of  the  Duchess 
von  Schwiggle,  peeped  over  the  banisters 
and  presently  tripped  down  to  carry  up 
coffee  for  two.  Obadiah  took  some  choc- 
olate and  toast  to  General  Bombwitz,  but 
when  he  knocked  on  the  Duke  of  Taxil's 
door  he  was  anathematized.  Babu,  on 
the  other  hand,  was  too  drunk  to  reply, 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  75 

so  I  bade  Obadiah  let  their  Graces  alone 
and  attend  to  the  kitchen. 

"The  maid  will  help  you,"  said  I; 
"  these  people  must  know  that  one  servant 
can't  do  everything.  Don't  take  any 
orders  from  the  Duchess,  do  you  hear  ? 
I  am  able  to  direct  this  outfit." 

"  Yessah  ;  de  Duchess  doan'  bodder 
'Diah  'n'  'Diah  ain'  gwine  bodder  de 
Duchess." 

"  All  the  same  if  she  makes  any  sugges- 
tions about  reh-braten,  you  need  n't  despise 
them,"  I  said,  picking  up  my  shooting  cap 
and  opening  the  door. 

"  Doan'  'spise  nuffin,  sah,"  sniffed  Oba- 
diah ;  "  h  'it  am  de  po'  an'  sinful  dat  'spise." 

"True,"  said  I,  lingering;  "you  can 
take  special  pains  about  Miss  Grey's  din- 
ner. Miss  Grey  is  very  fond  of  straw- 
berries. I  have  a  suspicion  that  there  are 
more  ripe  ones  under  the  leaves  in  the 
new  bed." 

"Whaffoh  you  'spicion  dat,  Mars 
Steen?"  enquired  Obadiah. 

"  Because,"  said  I,  "you  always  leave 
the  new  bed  when  you  see  me.  We 


76      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

will  have  no  more  of  that  sort  of  thing 
now." 

"  Yessah,"  said  Obadiah  cheerfully  ; 
and  I  went  out,  closing  the  front  door 
behind  me. 

As  I  walked  toward  the  stable  the  tur- 
keys craned  their  necks,  uttering  liquid 
gobbles,  the  hens  followed,  clustering  and 
crowding  about  my  feet,  and  stray  long- 
shanked  pullets  rushed  headlong  from  dis- 
tant corners  to  join  the  whole  clucking 
feathered  mass.  Several  old  hens  hur- 
ried up,  conducting  their  downy  peeping 
broods,  the  ducks  waddled  from  the 
meadow  pools,  the  geese  arrived,  necks 
stretched,  fat  white  bodies  rolling  in  uni- 
son. 

I  stirred  the  feed  in  the  porcelain  plat- 
ters, mixing  in  the  corn  and  mottled 
beans,  and  set  it  down  close  to  my  feet. 
It  is  very  pleasant  to  feel  the  eager  press 
of  warm  feathered  creatures  about  your 
legs.  Close  contact  with  helpless  living 
things  makes  a  man  a  bit  more  consid- 
erate I  imagine. 

At   length    the   horses   were    fed,    the 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  77 

bantam  rooster  had  achieved  the  last  of 
a  series  of  victories  over  all  comers,  and 
the  water-fowl  were  solemnly  pursuing 
their  pigeon-toed  course  toward  the 
meadow  pool  again.  One  or  two  reluc- 
tant hens  still  lingered,  pensively  picking 
at  the  polished  platters,  the  downy  chick- 
ens hovering  near,  plaintively  peeping. 

I  stepped  into  the  gun  room  and  looked 
at  the  glittering  row  of  fowling-pieces, 
rifles,  and  rods,  hesitating,  touching  first 
one  rod,  then  another. 

"  No,  I  '11  not  fish,"  I  thought,  "  I  '11  just 
stroll  a  bit  and  see  what  the  birds  are 
about ; "  and  I  lighted  my  pipe,  dug  my 
hands  into  my  shooting-coat  pockets,  and 
sauntered  toward  the  road. 

As  I  turned  past  the  porch  the  door 
opened  and  Marjory  Grey  stepped  out. 
She  did  not  see  me  at  first ;  she  was  snif- 
fing the  rose-scented  air,  nose  tilted,  eyes 
fixed  on  the  mountain  tops. 

My  heart  was  beating  fast  but  I  strolled 
into  view  and  said  pleasantly  ;  "  Good 
morning  Madge  ;  I  hope  you  slept  well." 

She  started  when  she  heard  my  voice  ; 


78      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

it  was  a  bit  sudden  I  know, — after  all 
those  long  years. 

I  viewed  with  equanimity  the  swift 
color  in  her  face  ;  I  was  quietly  pleased 
that  I  had  taken  her  unawares  and  that 
she  had  betrayed  it. 

However  she  answered  immediately, 
without  the  slightest  trace  of  embarrass- 
ment ;  "  Good  morning  Sten," — her  old 
name  for  me, — "  and,  thank  you,  I  slept 
beautifully." 

"  And  the  Duchess?"  I  enquired,  per- 
fectly at  ease, — outwardly,  I  mean. 

"  The  Duchess  has  gone  to  sleep  again  ; 
she  was  very  much  fatigued.  May  I 
come  down  into  your  delightful  rose 
garden  ?  " 

"Come,"  I  replied  pleasantly,  "will 
you  wear  a  belt-knot  of  Turkish  roses, 
Madge?" 

"  But, — oh  thank  you, — but  you  must 

pick  them  ;  see,  here  is  a  beauty,  and  this, 

—and   these   two   half   blown   buds — oh 

dear  !  it  is  too  difficult  to  choose  : — choose 

for  me,  Sten." 

It  might  have  been  a  week  instead  of 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  79 

three  years  ago  since  we  had  last  met. 
We  walked  along,  side  by  side,  I  cutting 
the  stems  of  the  dew-soaked  buds  with  my 
sheath-knife,  she  examining  the  garden, 
stables,  house,  and  pheasantry  with  curious 
wide  eyes. 

"  Is  your  father  well, — and  your  charm- 
ing step-mother  of  whom  I  have  heard  so 
much?"  I  asked. 

"  Papa  and  Mamma  are  very  well ;  they 
are  spending  a  few  weeks  on  the  Bospho- 
rus.  Papa  often  asks  about  you— 

She  stopped  rather  suddenly. 

"  Well  ?  "  I  enquired. 

11 1  have  not  been  able  to  tell  him  very 
much,"  she  resumed  placidly,  "  but  now  I 
shall  have  lots  to  tell.  Are  you  well  ?  " 
she  added. 

"  I  ?  Oh  yes.  And  you,  Madge  ?  but 
your  face  answers  my  question — " 

"  Does  it  ?     I  am  three  years  older." 

"Three  years?"  I  asked  hypocritically, 
-"not  three,  Madge — " 

"  Why  yes,"  she  insisted  turning  toward 
me,  "  have  you  really  forgotten  that — " 

-What?" 


8o     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Nothing, — if  you  have  forgotten." 

"  Please  don't  think  I  have  forgotten 
anything,"  I  exclaimed  earnestly  ;  "  the 
long  vacations  when  you  wore  your  hair 
in  two  braids,  the  long  absences  when 
you  went  to  the  convent, — and  later  too, 
when  you  left  the  convent,  I  remember 
our  boy-and-girl  love  affairs, — ah  Madge, 
we  were  very  serious  then— 

"  Really,"  she  said,  surprised,  "  do  you 
call  those  boy-and-girl  love  affairs  ! " 

"  Don't  you  ?"  I  asked,  mastering  my 
voice  with  an  effort. 

"  I  ?  I  was  seventeen  and  you  were 
twenty  !  Why  if  I  had  imagined  that  you 
took  it  so  lightly — " 

"  Not  lightly,   Madge,"  I  said,  "  I  was 

quite  upset  when  you  gave  me  my  conge, 

—I  was  miserable — for  nearly  a  week  !  " 

"  A  week  ! "  She  looked  at  me  half 
angrily,  half  curiously. 

"  Oh  more  than  that,"  I  said, — "  it  must 
have  been  more,  for  I  remember  now  that 
I  lost  the  July  trout  fishing  because  I  be- 
lieved that  my  life  had  been  blighted. 
Poor  Hamilton, — how  I  hated  him  for  a 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  81 

month  or  so."  I  was  smiling  at  her  now 
but  the  smile  on  her  lips  was  not  as 
genuine  as  it  might  have  been.  And  I 
lost  nothing, — the  flutter  of  an  eyelid,  the 
beat  of  the  pulse  in  her  soft  throat,  now 
whitening,  now  faintly  deepening  in  color 
as  her  wonder  changed  to  impatience. 

"  You  were  right  too,"  I  continued  gaily  ; 
"suppose  that  I  had  not  come  to  see,— 
as  you  did, — that  we  never  really  loved  ? 
Suppose  I  had  never  gotten  over  it, — that 
I  had  borne  the  wretchedness  and  hopeless 
misery  always, — always  with  me,  night  and 
day,  sleeping,  waking  ? — I  tell  you,  Madge, 
it  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  I  found  out 
that  I  also  had  never  really  loved  !  Would 
you  like  to  see  my  pheasants  ?  " 

"  Pheasants  ?  "  she  repeated,  standing 
still  in  the  path, — "oh yes, — if  you  wish." 

The  old  silver  pheasant  was  in  a  tan- 
trum as  usual,  and  promptly  flew  at  my 
eyes  as  soon  as  I  touched  his  wire  barriers. 

"  A  perfect  old  scold  ! "  I  laughed  ;  "  I 
only  keep  him  as  a  warning  to  myself. 
Is  n't  he  a  beauty,  Madge  ?  " 

"  Yes." 


82      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

11  There  are  some  golden  pheasants  in 
that  further  enclosure, — there  ! — you  can 
see  one  of  them  now.  They  are  not 
hardy  enough  to  turn  out,  but  I  am  very 
much  interested  in  cross  breeding— 

44  You  seem  to  find  everything  interest- 
ing/' she  interrupted  with  a  peculiar  smile. 
"  I,  on  the  contrary,  find  most  things  very 
uninteresting." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Madge,"  I  laughed  ; 
"  I  might  have  known  you  would  n't  care 
for  this  sort  of  thing — 

"Tell  me  about  yourself,"  she  said, 
slowly  moving  on. 

"  About  myself  ?  Why  there 's  nothing 
much  to  tell.  I  am  very  contented  and 
happy,  I  have  n't  a  care  in  the  world  or  a 
wish  ungratified:  I  fish  and  shoot  and 
build  dams  and  breed  pheasants." 

"Oh!" 

"  Besides,  I  have  my  fruit ; — there  are 
strawberries  here,  —  you  were  fond  of 
strawberries,  Madge,  were  you  not  ? — or 
was  it— 

44 Who?"  she  said  impatiently;  "of 
course  I  was  fond  of  strawberries.  I  wish, 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  83 

Sten,  that  you  would  arrange  the  reminis- 
cences of  your  salad  days  more  methodi- 
cally." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Madge, — " 

"  You  need  n't, — and  you  are  not  at  all 
flattering."  She  looked  at  me  again,  curi- 
ously. "  You  have  changed  very  much," 
she  said. 

We  had  strolled  back  to  the  house  as 
we  spoke  and  now  I  halted  as  though  to 
take  my  leave. 

"  You  will  find  everything  that  I  have 
to  offer  at  your  disposal, — except  ser- 
vants," I  said.  "  I  am  sorry  but  perhaps 
you  can  manage  with  Obadiah  and  the 
pretty  maid, — what  is  her  name  ?  " 

"  Lina,"  said  Madge  shortly. 

"  The  house  is  yours,"  I  continued 
smiling,  "  I  shall  not  trouble  you  much 
for  I  am  out  poking  about  the  woods 
most  of  the  day— 

"  Sten,"  she  said,  "  have  you  no  curiosity 
to  know  how  I  happened  to  come  here  ?  " 

"Why  yes,"  I  replied,  "  you  must  tell 
me  all  about  it  some  day— 

"  I  shall  not  tell  you  at  all ! " 


84      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Please  do,  Madge,"  I  laughed. 

"1  shall  not,"  she  retorted,  half  smil- 
ing, half  angry,  "you  evidently  don't 
care  tuppence  to  know  and  you  are  not  a 
bit  cordial." 

"  Listen,"  I  said  seriously,  "  I  do  mean 
to  be  cordial ;  you  know  I  am  glad  to  see 
you  once  more — 

"  Once  more  !  Sten,  you  are  absolutely 
so  self-satisfied— 

"  No,  only  self-sufficient—" 

"—  It  's  the  same  thing  ! " 

"  Pardon  me,  Madge,  the  first  is  imbe- 
cility, the  last  is  merely  sanity." 

She  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  piazza 
and  pulled  at  the  leaves  on  the  rose  bushes. 

"  I  don't  know  you, — I  feel  that  some- 
how you  are  very  different,"  she  said  ;  "  I 
am  conscious  that  you  are  utterly  changed 
in  every  way  ; — are  you  ?  " 

"  How  ?  "  I  wondered  that  I  could  so 
control  my  voice. 

"  How  ?  Oh,  how  do  I  know  ?  You 
were  always  very  impulsive  and  warm- 
hearted, and — oh  I  don't  know.  Your 
face  has  changed  too — " 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  85 

"  Well,  yes,"  I  laughed  ;  "  I  am  thinner 
and  more  bronzed,  and  these  lines  show  a 
little  more  deeply,  I  suppose." 

"What  did  they  come  from?"  she 
asked,  looking  straight  at  me. 

"Age,"  I  said  gaily. 

"  No  suffering?" 

"  Not  very  much.  I  of  course  loved  a 
woman  as  is  the  fate  of  all  men.  She  was 
not  very  enthusiastic  over  me  and  of  course 
it  hurt  for  a  while.  I  doubt  that  it  deep- 
ened these  lines  very  much." 

"  She  did  not  love  you  ?  " 

I  shook  my  head,  smiling. 

"  Was  she  young  ?  " 

"  Rather  young." 

"  Pretty  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes." 

"Good?" 

"  Very  ; — much  too  good  for  me,  Madge ; 
— you  have  cut  your  finger  on  the  rose 
thorns — " 

"  I  know, — was  she  young — I  mean 
pretty — no,  I  mean  was  she — oh  Sten, 
tell  me  about  her  !  " 

I  laughed  outright.      "  There  is  noth- 


86      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

ing  to  relate.     I  was  fascinated  of  course, 

—I  might  as  well  tell  you  that  I  really 

did  love  her, — the  first  woman  that  I  had 

ever  loved, — and  the  last.     That  is  all." 

"  Oh,"  said  Madge,  "  it  is  fortunate  for 
me  that  we  found  we  did  not— 

"  Love  ?  Oh  that,  of  course,  was  salad 
love—" 

She  colored  furiously  and  stood  up. 

"  It  was  very  real  to  me,"  she  said 
haughtily  ;  "  I  am  amazed— 

"  Madge,"  I  interrupted,  "  please  don't 
think  that  I  hold  that  valueless.  No  in- 
deed,— it  enabled  me  to  distinguish  be- 
tween love  and  friendship — between 
infatuation  and  love.  You  taught  me 
to  think,  when  I  only  believed  you  were 
cruel  and  selfish — ' 

"  Did  you  believe  that  ?" 

"  Yes.  When  you  went  away  with 
Hamilton  I  could  have  killed  myself.  I 
often  wondered  why  you  were  so  merci- 
less that  night." 

"  I  have  often  wondered  too,"  she  said. 

"  But  you  told  me  you  loved  Hamil- 
ton.'1 


In  the  Rose  Garden.  87 

"  Did  I  ?     I  don't  know  why  I  said  so." 

"  Did  n't  you  love  Hamilton  ?  " 

"  No." 

"Who  then — pardon  me,  Madge,  I — " 

"  I  don't  mind  your  asking  ;  I  loved 
nobody — then.  I  did  care  more  for  you 
than  anybody  else." 

"  It  *s  very  sweet  of  you  to  say  so,"  I 
said  laughing. 

"  It  is  true.  But  you  are  right,  Sten,  I 
loved  nobody  ;  I  was  inexperienced,  too 
young,  too  excited  over  the  prospect  of 
going  abroad,  to  love.  A  young  convent 
girl  is  the  most  emotionless  thing  in  the 
world  in  some  ways." 

What  I  wanted  to  ask  was  ;  "  Where 
is  Hamilton?"  What  I  did  ask  was; 
"  Do  you  keep  up  your  singing?" 

" Singing?"  she  repeated,  "oh  yes,  I 
sing.  Do  you  remember  how  you  always 
asked  for  that  aria  from  '  Carmen  '  ?  " 

"Yes,"  I  answered,  giving  the  impres- 
sion that  I  had  really  forgotten.  It  hurt 
me  more  than  it  did  her. 

"Tell  me,"  I  blurted  out  at  last,  unable 
to  keep  up  the  bitter  game,  "tell  me 


88      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

about  all  those  rumors.  Are  you  going 
to  marry  Drumgilt  or  the  Count  d'Oise 
or  anybody  ?  " 

She  gave  me  one  quick  glance,  then 
something  came  into  her  face  that  I  recog- 
nized,— something  that  I  had  seen  before, 
long  ago  in  those  years  when  she  knew 
that  I  loved  her. 

"Fool!"  I  thought,  "idiot  that  I  am! 
She  knows  it  now  ! "  And  I  turned  on 
her  in  desperation  saying  something  stu- 
pid to  give  her  the  idea  that  I  was  indif- 
ferent and  heart-whole, — that  I  was  far 
beyond  her  power  for  working  me  weal 
or  woe.  It  was  too  late, — I  saw  it  in  her 
eyes,  in  the  droop  of  her  red  lips,  I  saw  it 
in  the  poise  of  her  slender  figure  ;  and  I 
knew  that  she  knew. 

"  I  am  going,"  said  I,  rising,  "  to  look 
after  my  young  pheasants.  I  don't  sup- 
pose you  would  care  to  come  ; — the  Duch- 
ess, you  know,  being  alone — " 

"  I  understand,"  she  said  sweetly,  "  I 
will  go  to  the  Duchess." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A   COUNCIL   OF    WAR. 

I  RETURNED  at  noon  after  a  sulky 
tour  through  the  coverts,  furious  to 
think  how  I  had  played  into  Madge's 
hands, — mortified  that  she  should  have 
read  me  so  easily. 

"  I  '11  show  her  that  she  's  mistaken,"  I 
muttered,  "  only  let  me  have  a  chance  !  " 

There  was  nobody  in  sight  about  the 
house  except  Lina,  the  blue-eyed  maid, 
and  Mops,  the  over-fed  lap-dog.  The  one 
was  escorting  the  other. 

"  Lina,"  said  I,  "  where  is  her  Grace 
the  Duchess  ?  " 

Lina  dropped  me  a  pretty  curtsey. 

"  Excelenz,"  she   replied,  "  her   Grace 

the  Dowager  Duchess  von  Schwiggle  and 

the  high-born  Mees  Grey  are  attending 

a  council  of  war  which  was  called  by  the 

89 


go     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

illustrious  General  Bombwitz  on  behalf 
of  his  Majesty  the  King." 

"  Oh,"  said  I,  "  and  the  Dukes  ?  " 

"  Their  Graces  of  Taxil  and  Babu  are 
also  present,"  said  Lina.  At  this  juncture 
Mops  took  offence  at  my  hob-nailed  shoot- 
ing-boots and  approached  them,  growling. 

"  Doubtless  a  German  dog,"  I  said. 

"  Yes  sir." 

Mops  drew  in  his  breath,  gurgling  dis- 
approbation. 

"  Does  he  bite,  Lina,"  I  asked. 

"Oh  I  hope  not  sir!"  she  said 
timidly  ;  "  come  here  Mops  ! " 

The  wretched  poodle  suddenly  snarled 
and  snapped  at  my  legs.  Lina  uttered  a 
soft  shriek. 

"  Perhaps,"  said  I,  "  you  had  better  pull 
him  away,  Lina — see  !  he  has  hold  of  my 
leather  gaiters.  If  I  should  touch  him  it 
might  be  that  I  should  yield  to  an  inclin- 
ation and  send  the  Duchess  into  crepe. 
Does  black  become  the  Duchess,  Lina?" 

By  this  time  Lina  had  removed  and 
slapped  the  venomous  Mops. 

"  Excelenz  will  pardon  the  annoyance," 


A  Council  of  War.  91 

she  stammered, — "  Mops  shall  be  whipped 
by  me—" 

"No,  no,"  I  said,  "the  dog  did  no 
harm, — he  only  chewed  off  a  button." 

"  If  permitted  I  will  willingly  sew  it  on 
for  his  Excellence— 

"  Thank  you,  Lina,  with  pleasure.  By 
the  way,  call  me  Mr.  Steen, — if  you  can 
say  it  you  know— 

"  Meester  Stin,"  said  Lina  shyly.  She 
was  as  dainty  a  little  creature  as  was  ever 
turned  out  of  a  Dresden  china  shop. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  I,  noticing  how 
prettily  her  hands  were  fashioned.  She 
was  just  now  fingering  her  lace  edged 
apron. 

"  Do  you  think,"  said  I,  looking  care- 
fully around  the  rose  garden,  "  do  you 
think,  Lina,  that  there  is  any  unpardonable 
sin  in  a  kiss  ?" 

"  They  say  so,"  said  Lina,  examining 
her  pointed  shoes. 

"  And  do  you  believe  it  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Then,"  said  I  determinedly,  "  it  is 
time  that  somebody  exposed  such  an  ab- 


92      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

surd  doctrine."  And  I  kissed  her  in  the 
interest  of  civilization.  Having  done  this 
conscientiously,  I  did  it  again  in  the  inter- 
est of  common  sense.  Mops  growled. 
Lina  looked  at  Mops. 

"  Now,"  said  I,  "  we  have  performed  a 
duty  that  we  had  no  right  to  shrink  from. 
Lina,  I  am  going  to  the  Council  of 
War." 

"  They  are  in  the  dining-room,  Mr. 
Steen,"  said  Lina,  looking  at  me  side- 
ways ! 

"  Ha  ! "  said  I  to  myself,  fiercely,  "  that 
shows  how  little  I  am  to  be  swayed  by 
any  influence  of  Madge  Grey.  She,  has 
played  her  last  game  of  battle-dore  with 
my  heart ! "  And  I  entered  the  house 
and  knocked  at  the  dining-room  door. 
The  Duke  of  Taxil  opened  it. 

On  seeing  me  the  Dowager  Duchess 
von  Schwiggle  frowned  and  whispered  to 
the  King,  but  that  monarch  shrugged  his 
shoulders  impatiently  and  called  out  to 
me  to  enter. 

"  You  are  welcome,  my  friend  ! "  he 
cried  heartily,  "  come  in  and  instil  a  little 


A  Council  of  War.  93 

common  sense  into  this  company.  No- 
body knows  anything  except  Miss  Grey— 

"  Theobald  !  "  exclaimed  the  Duchess, 
horrified. 

"  It  's  true  ;  don't  tell  me  !  I  know 
what  I  'm  saying.  Come,  Mr.  Steen,  we 
want  your  advice." 

"I  am  very  willing,"  said  I,  quietly 
seating  myself  beside  Madge. 

"  The  case  is  just  this,"  began  the 
King  ;  "  you  see  that  Russia — don't  in- 
terrupt me,  Bombwitz  !  I  was  saying 
that  Russia  is  determined  to  pack  me  off 
to  England  and  I  won't  go  and  there  you 
are  ! " 

"  Why,"  said  I,  "should  Russia  wish  to 
exile  you  ?  " 

"  Because  I  know  too  much  about  some 
things.  I  could  set  all  the  Balkans  in  a 
blaze  if  I  chose  to  take  the  trouble— 

"  You  should  choose  ! "  boomed  the 
voice  of  the  Dowager  Duchess. 

"  Now,  now  !"  said  the  King,  "my good 
aunt,  you  can't  get  me  to  go  into  anymore 
filibustering  expeditions,  for  I  won't  go 
and  that  settles  it.  I  'm  not  ambitious, 


94     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

I  'm  no  King  by  inclination, — I  'd  rather 
be  a  decent  clock-maker  than  a  fool  King. 
I  won't  be  a  King  ! " 

"You  must!"  boomed  the  Duchess, 
her  face  hard  as  granite.  Taxil  seconded 
her,  Babu  yawned,  and  General  Bombwitz 
puffed  out  his  cheeks,  assuring  everybody 
that  his  brains  and  his  sword  were  at  the 
King's  service.  Madge  Grey  looked  at  me. 

"Do  you  want  to  be  King  again?"  I 
asked. 

"  No  !"  shouted  the  King  angrily. 

"Yes!  Yes!"  cried  Taxil  and  the 
Duchess. 

"  If  you  want  to  be  King,"  I  said,  "  it 
would  be  easy  for  you  to  enlist  the  King 
of  Caucasia  and  you  'd  have  the  whole 
Caucasian  nation  to  back  you.  All  you  Ve 
got  to  do  is  to  promise  them  free  entry 
into  the  Balkan  Sea  for  their  commerce 
and  their  navy  of  two  torpedo  boats." 

The  Duchess  stared  at  me,  open 
mouthed  ;  General  Bombwitz  was  speech- 
less, and  the  Duke  of  Taxil  sank  help- 
lessly into  his  big  arm-chair. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  Madge  Grey, 


A  Council  of  War.  95 

her  eyes  sparkling,  "that  Mr.  Steen  has 
thought  of  the  one  thing  that  might  re- 
store his  Majesty  his  throne." 

"  It  is  strange,"  said  the  Duchess, 
''that  it  took  an  American  to  think  of 
this." 

"  It  is  strange,"  said  Madge  solemnly. 

"  But  it 's  colossal !  splendid  !  glorious  ! 
prachtvol  !  wunder-schon  ! "  exclaimed 
Bombwitz. 

"In  another  moment  I  should  have 
probably  thought  of  it  myself,"  observed 
Taxil. 

"  I  also,"  added  Babu  in  a  thick  voice. 

"  Don't  you  see,"  I  explained,  "  once 
you  enter  Boznovia  at  the  head  of  the 
Caucasian  army,  Servia  will  back  down, 
and  Russia's  policy  is  always  passive  when 
it  concerns  the  Balkan  states.  She  may 
not  recognize  you  as  King,  but  she  won't 
dethrone  you  by  force, — at  least  not  out- 
wardly, for  if  she  does,  Austria,  Bulgaria, 
Roumania,  Caucasia,  and  Boznovia  will 
ally  themselves  with  England— 

"  Confound  it  all  ! "  cried  the  unhappy 
King,  "  I  don't  care  a  copper  pfenning 


96     A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

what  they  do  !    I  won't  be  a  King !     I 
won't     I  won't  !     I—" 

"You  shall !"  boomed  the  Duchess. 

"  You  must ! "  echoed  Taxil  and  Bomb- 
witz.  Babu  was  asleep.  Madge  Grey 
looked  at  me. 

"  Don't  you  understand  ! "  wailed  the 
King,  "suppose  we  all  did  get  back  into 
Boznovia ;  how  are  we  to  stay  there  ? 
Who  's  got  the  brains  to  keep  us  there  ? 
We  can't  always  have  Mr.  Steen  to  ex- 
plain the  difference  between  chalk  and 
cheese  to  our  addled  brains  !  " 

" Why  not?"  said  Madge  Grey,  "you 
could  make  him  Prime  Minister."  A  spot 
of  scarlet  was  burning  on  each  cheek. 
Her  eyes  were  very  bright. 

At  this  astounding  proposal  the  Duch- 
ess started  and  glared  at  us.  Bombwitz 
blew  out  his  cheeks  until  they  seemed  on 
the  point  of  exploding,  and  Taxil  laughed 
sneeringly. 

"By  Heaven!    I'll    do    it!"    said  the 
King ;  "  I  tell  you  I  '11  do  it  if  you  force 
me  to  this  business.     I  warn  you  all,— 
yes,  you  too,  my  excellent  aunt, — as  surely 


A  Council  of  War.  97 

as  I  decorate  him  now  for  his  common 
sense, —  here  he  suddenly  turned  and 
threw  over  my  head  the  chain  of  the  first 
class  order  of  Saint  Theobald, — "  I  will 
raise  him  to  the  highest  place  in  the 
kingdom  ! " 

Then  the  King  stood  up  and  turned 
sharply  to  Taxil. 

"  It  is  through  such  finance  jugglers  as 
you,"  he  said  haughtily, — u  and  such  imbe- 
cile peers  as  his  Grace  of  Babu,  that  I 
goaded  the  people  to  revolt.  Who  was 
it  counselled  me  to  invite  the  British  Am- 
bassador to  the  Palace  when  Russia  was 
sniffing  at  the  gates  of  India  ?  You  ! 
Who  was  it  that  urged  me  to  interfere 
when  Bulgaria  was  thrashing  Servia  ? 
You,  and  you  too,  General  Bombwitz. 
And  neither  of  you  thought  of  anything 
except  reward  and  plunder  ; — you,  Taxilr 
expected  to  feather  your  nest,  and  you, 
Bombwitz,  intended  to  appropriate  a  field 
marshall's  baton  and  perquisites.  If  I 
were  a  King  at  heart  instead  of  a  good 
natured,  slow  country  gentleman,  I  should 
have  sent  you  both  to  the  Black  Fortress 


98      A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

and  I  should  have  had  his  imbecile  Grace 
of  Babu  made  cellar  steward  in  the  Pal- 
ace. As  for  you,  my  good  aunt,"  con- 
tinued the  King, — and  now  as  he  spoke 
he  really  began  to  look  like  a  King, — "as 
for  you,  I  should  have  courteously  con- 
ducted you  to  your  schloss  of  Lauter- 
schnapps  and  bade  you  stay  there  in 
God's  name  and  keeping." 

For  a  full  minute  there  was  absolute 
silence. 

Then  the  King  said  ;  "I  am  a  quiet 
simple  man,  not  gifted  with  much  good 
sense  and  slow  to  think,  lax  and  overfond 
of  comfort  and  peace,  and  I  say  to  you 
that  it  is  wrong  to  urge  such  a  man  on  to 
war, — to  urge  such  a  man  to  crown  him- 
self again.  I  am  not  a  bad  man, — but  I 
am  worse  than  a  bad  King, — I  am  a  stupid 


one." 


He  turned  to  me. 

"  Mr.  Steen,  is  it  not  the  truth  ?" 

"Yes,  your  Majesty,"  I  answered. 

He  held  out  his  hand  with  a  gesture  so 
helpless,  so  utterly  sad,  that  I  bent  low 
and  took  it  humbly.  Then  straightening 


A  Council  of  War.  99 

up  I  said  ;  "  if  you  want  my  services  they 
are  yours,  in  field  or  in  council,  whenever 
and  wherever  you  wish.  It  would  be  bet- 
ter for  you  and  for  Boznovia  if  you  never 
went  back,  but,  if  I  were  you—  '  here  I 
struck  the  table  with  my  clenched  fist— 
"  I  would  never  rest  until  I  returned  and 
showed  the  Boznovian  people,  for  my  own 
pride's  sake,  that  when  I  chose  I  could  be 
a  King  for  any  country  to  honor  !  " 

"  Bravo !  "  cried  Madge  Grey,  and 
clapped  her  little  white  hands. 

"  Am  I  to  go  ?"  said  the  King  turning 
almost  fiercely  on  the  Duchess. 

She  nodded,  a  little  dazed. 

"Then  Heaven  have  mercy  on  you, 
Taxil,  on  you,  Bombwitz,  and  on  that  use- 
less hulk,  Babu  ;  for  I  will  reign  like  a 
King  and  a  just  King,  and  I  will  show  no 
mercy  to  thieves  or  cowards  or  imbeciles  ! 
I  will  go  !  Madame,  my  good  aunt,  per- 
mit me  to  conduct  you  ;  Mr.  Steen,  I 
claim  your  aid.  Stand  by  me  now  for,  as 
I  live,  I  will  show  you  what  a  King  can 
be!" 


CHAPTER    VII. 

TEN    MINUTES    GRACE. 

IT  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
His  Grace  of  Babu  was  sleeping  a 
vinous  sleep  under  the  linden  in  the  pas- 
ture opposite  the  house.  Taxil  sat  on 
the  edge  of  the  duck-pond,  gloomily  fish- 
ing for  dace  with  a  rod  that  he  had  un- 
earthed in  the  stables.  When  a  fish  bit 
he  jerked  it  bodily  out  of  the  water  onto 
the  grass  and  fell  upon  it.  This  at  last 
awoke  the  inebriate  unter  den  Linden, 
and  he  watched  the  bouncing  flapping 
fish  with  every  symptom  of  terror  until, 
satisfied  that  they  were  fish  and  not  multi- 
colored snakes,  he  turned  over  and  pre- 
pared to  doze  again. 

The  King  had  decided  to  call  another 
council  of  war  and  the  Duchess  suggested 
that  we  all  walk  through  the  woods  to 

IOO 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          101 


some  pleasant   nook  nea/  'tfo 

suitable   alike    for    weighty    consultation 

and  for  Mops  to  take  a  bath. 

So  at  two  o'clock  when  the  shadows  on 
the  mountains  were  beginning  to  lengthen 
toward  the  east  and  all  the  fields  were  vi- 
brating with  rhythmical  crickets'  rune,  we 
started  ;  Madge  Grey,  the  Duchess,  the 
King,  Bombwitz,  Lina,  Mops,  and  myself. 

As  we  passed  the  duck-pond,  I  hailed 
Taxil  and  Babu,  and  they  reluctantly 
obeyed,  plodding  sullenly  across  the  pas- 
ture. The  strident  rattle  of  grass-hop- 
pers and  the  tic  !  tic  !  tic  !  of  the  locusts 
among  the  maize  stalks  seemed  to  inten- 
sify the  heat  of  a  nearly  vertical  sun. 

A  fine  dusty  powder  greyed  the  fern- 
leaves  that  bordered  the  road  ;  the  field 
flowers  drooped  a  little,  waiting  for  the 
evening  dew.  Brilliant  active  tiger-bee- 
tles ran  hither  and  thither  across  the 
baked  soil,  or  rose  on  burnished  wings  and 
sailed  away  down  the  road  ahead  of  us, 
only  to  fly  up  again  as  we  overtook  them. 

The  Duchess  walked  ahead  majesti- 
cally, followed  by  Lina  and  Mops.  The 


102    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

King  came  next,  rambling  along  in  his 
easy,  unconventional  way,  talking  with 
Madge  Grey.  Since  this  morning's  out- 
burst there  certainly  had  come  something 
into  the  King's  carriage  that  gave  him 
an  air  of  being  somebody.  Perhaps  it 
would  be  going  too  far  to  call  it  dignity 
or  even  authority.  Still,  whatever  it 
was,  it  was  noticeable,  nay,  unmistakable. 
Bombwitz  and  Taxil  felt  it,  I  could  see 
that,  and  the  sodden  Duke  of  Babu  rec- 
ognized it.  Madge  perceived  it,  I  know, 
for  I  caught  her  eye  once  or  twice. 
Whether  the  Duchess  or  Mops  were 
aware  of  it  I  could  not  determine. 

The  Duke  of  Taxil,  still  lugging  his 
rod  and  string  of  dace,  exhaled  an  irri- 
tating aroma,  and  the  Duchess  told  him 
so  without  .hesitation.  So  he  laid  his  fish 
down  in  the  grass  to  pick  up  on  his  re- 
turn, but  Mops  waddled  toward  them, 
sniffed  them,  and  began  to  roll  on  them 
uttering  amused  yelps. 

"  That  may  be  fun  for  the  dog,  but  it 
won't  improve  their  flavor  ! "  cried  Taxil 
angrily. 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          103 

"  Dace  are  not  good  to  eat  at  this  sea- 
son of  the  year,"  I  said. 

"  I  eat  what  I  choose,"  said  Taxil 
sulkily. 

"  Hello,"  I  thought,  "Taxil  is  begin- 
ning to  be  jealous  of  me." 

We  now  turned  away  from  the  high- 
road and  entered  the  woods  by  a  foot- 
path, thick  with  dead  leaves,  crossed  by 
slender  budding  vines,  and  doubly  cris- 
crossed  with  shining  strands  of  spider's 
gossamer.  The  Duchess  broke  a  dozen 
spider's  webs  with  her  granitic  face  and 
then  ordered  Babu  to  go  ahead  and  per- 
form that  duty  for  her.  Babu  went :  it 
was  all  the  same  to  him  what  he  hit  with 
his  nose,  for  the  only  sensation  left  in  his 
alcoholic  skin  was  the  sensation  of  inebri- 
ation. 

Mops  waddled  along  like  a  true  Ger- 
man, noticing  nothing  that  other  dogs 
would  have  noticed,  passing  all  sorts  of 
holes  and  logs  and  thickets  and  interest- 
ing smells  without  turning  his  stupid  head. 
I  hate  such  a  dog.  Men  who  are  not 
manly,  women  who  are  not  womanly,  dogs 


104    A  King  and  a  Few  DukeSo 

who  are  not  doggy,  inspire  me  with  re- 
sentment. 

"He  is  like  all  those  globe-trotting 
Germans  who  never  look  at  anything  but 
are  simply  bitten  with  a  mania  to  swarm 
over  countries  and  walk  as  far  as  possi- 
ble," I  thought  to  myself.  I  looked  at 
Bombwitz.  There  was  an  uncanny  facial 
resemblance  between  him  and  Mops. 

"  General  Bombwitz,"  I  whispered,  "  has 
our  friend  ever  been  a  parent  ?" 

"  Herr  Je  !  "  gasped  Bombwitz,  "  her 
Grace  is  unmarried  !  " 

"Her  Grace!"  said  I,  "why  I  was 
speaking  of  Mops." 

Bombwitz  puffed  out  his  cheeks,  coughed 
twice,  and  waddled  on. 

I  laughed  a  little  and  joined  Madge 
Grey. 

"  Madge,"  said  I,  "let  us  stop  saying 
what  we  don't  mean  and  meaning  what 
we  don't  say.  Shall  we, — for  a  change  ?  " 

"Hush,"  she  said,  "the  Duchess  will 
hear  you.  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  What  I  say— this  time.  May  I  walk 
with  you  a  little  ?  Shall  we  drop  behind, 
— so  the  Duchess  won't  hear?" 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          105 

She  stood  aside  with  a  charming  ges- 
ture, bidding  Taxil  and  Babu  to  pass 
ahead.  Then,  as  they  lumbered  by,  she 
fell  into  the  path  again  and  I  stepped  up 
beside  her. 

"  Of  course  you  know,"  said  I  without 
any  preliminary  warning,  "  that  I  still 
love  you." 

"  Sten  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  I  thought  we  were  going  to  be  truth- 
ful for  ten  minutes,"  I  said. 

She  was  silent. 

"  After  the  ten  minutes  are  over,"  I 
continued,  "we  will  fib  away  as  merrily  as 
ever  ;  it  would  be  too  stupid  otherwise — " 

"  Flippancy  does  not  become  you,"  she 
said  with  heightened  color. 

"  I  'm  sorry.  I  feel  flippant  when  I 
watch  the  insincerity  of  my  friends." 

"  Do  you  mean  me  ?  "  she  asked  slowly. 

"  No,  Madge.     You  are  not  insincere." 

"  A  la  bonheur  alors  ! "  she  laughed. 
Her  laughter  had  a  nervous  ring  that  re- 
stored all  my  coolness  and  confidence, 

"  Our  ten  minutes  are  flying,"  I  said  ; 
"  it  would  be  criminal  to  waste  another 
second.  Do  you  love  me  Madge  ?  " 


io6    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  No ! "  she  cried,  scarlet  and  aston- 
ished. 

A  whole  minute  went  by  before  I  spoke 
again.  Anyway  I  did  not  care  for  the 
remaining  nine  minutes, — now. 

"Well,"  said  I  making  an  effort  to 
smile,  "you  knew  that  I  loved  you  this 
morning, — there  in  the  rose  garden.  I 
had  imagined  that  I  could  conceal  it  but 
— of  course  I  was  a  self-confident  idiot. 
You  knew  I  loved  you  then,  did  you 
not?" 

"  No." 

"  Madge !  The  ten  minutes  are  not 
over  yet." 

She  was  silent.     I  drew  out  my  watch. 

"  Did  you  know  it  then  ?  " 

She  turned  her  face  away  from  me. 

"  Tell  me,"  I  urged,  "  these  ten  minutes 
will  never  come  again,  and  we  have  all 
our  lives  to  fib  in.  Will  you  tell  me  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  did  !"  she  said  suddenly. 

"You  knew  that  I  loved  you  still?" 

"Yes.    What  time  is  it?" 

"  We  have  four  minutes  left,  but  there 
is  nothing  more  to  say.  I  am  going  to 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          107 

deliberately  stamp  out  my  love  for  you, 
Madge,  and  it  won't  trouble  either  of  us 
again.  I  began  it  this  afternoon  and,"  I 
went  on  pleasantly,  "  I  will  continue  in 
the  same  lines.  Don't  be  impatient, — 
you  will  make  your  lip  bleed  in  another 
moment ; — I  have  only  two  more  minutes 
to  speak  the  truth  in.  I  came  here  be- 
cause I  found  the  world  intolerable — after 
you  had  gone.  The  day  you  came  I  be- 
lieved myself  cured.  Now  I  know  I  am 
a  very  sick  man.  But  I  will  be  cured  for 
both  our  sakes,  Madge  ;  I  '11  go  back  to 
the  world  and  stir  it  up  a  bit.  I  '11 — 

"  What  time  is  it  ?"  she  asked  faintly. 

"  I  have  fifty  seconds.  That  gives  me 
just  time  to  say  that  I  love  you.  Three 
words, — and  you  don't  know  what  they 
mean.  I  love  you.  And  in  ten  seconds 
more  I  shall  never  say  it  again.  In  five 
seconds  more  I  will  begin  to  cure  myself." 

"  What  time  is  it,"  said  Marjory. 

"  The  last  second  has  just  ticked." 

"Sten,"  she  said  quietly,  "you  might 
have  offered  me  a  minute  or  two  out  of 
those  ten, — but  they  are  gone — forever." 


io8    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

I  looked  at  her  in  consternation. 

"Too  late,"  she  said,  "  it's  fibs  now  for 
the  rest  of  our  lives." 

"  Tell  me  one  then  !  "  I  cried. 

"  I  hate  you,"  she  laughed,  and  slipped 
away  to  join  the  Duchess. 

"  Is  this  game  of  battle-dore  going  on  ?  " 
I  thought  angrily.  "  No  !  I  '11  stand  no 
more  torment ;  I  '11  trample  out  the  last 
trace  of  tenderness  in  one  way  or  another  ! 
I  '11  go  to  Caucasia  and  make  plots  and 
Kings  !  I  '11  kiss  a  pretty  mouth  too 
when  I  see  it !  " 

Mops  had  lingered  behind  and  Lina  ran 
back  to  fetch  him. 

"  Here  he  is,"  said  I  ;  "  Lina,  are  you 
still  superstitious  about  kissing  ?  " 

She  said  she  was.  The  others  were  not 
in  sight. 

About  half-past  four  that  afternoon  I 
strolled  into  the  sunny  grove  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Tschiska.  The  Duchess  was 
seated  upon  a  bank  of  moss,  watching 
Lina,  who  had  arrived,  carrying  Mops,  a 
few  minutes  before  I  came. 

Lina    was    now   bathing    Mops ;    her 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          109 

sleeves  were  rolled  up  showing  a  pair  of 
perfect  white  arms,  her  hair  blew  across 
her  soft  cheeks  upon  which  two  spots  of 
carmine  deepened  and  paled. 

"  There  is  some  mistake  here,"  thought 
I,  looking  from  Lina  to  the  Duchess  and 
from  the  Duchess  to  Lina ;  "  there  is 
some  awful  mistake,  that 's  certain.  The 
Duchess  should  be  washing  the  dog." 

Now  it  was  patent  to  anybody  that 
Lina's  small  golden  head  was  especially 
designed  for  a  coronet,  but  what  the  head 
of  the  Dowager  Duchess  had  been  de- 
signed at  all  for,  her  Maker  only  knew. 
But  the  marvel  of  all  lay  in  Lina's  aristo- 
cratically perfect  hands  and  feet. 

I  looked  from  the  fat  ankles  of  the 
Dowager  Duchess  von  Schwiggle  to  the 
perfectly  turned  ankles  of  Lina. 

"  This,"  thought  I,  "  is  too  serious  for 
joking  ;  fun  is  fun  and  von  is  von  but  I  '11 
eat  Taxil's  dace  if  Lina  does  n't  deserve 
a  zu  in  front  of  whatever  comes  after 
'  Lina.' '  And  I  joined  her  Grace  under 
the  beech  tree. 

The  King  who  had  been  earnestly  con- 


1 10    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

versing  with  Taxil  beside  the  water's  edge, 
now  came  up  the  bank  and  called  us  all 
around  him.  And  when  we  were  seated 
at  a  sign  from  him,  he  turned  to  the  Duch- 
ess with  something  of  nobility  in  his 
gesture. 

"  My  aunt,"  he  said  unaffectedly,  "for 
the  last  time  I  will  ask  you  not  to  force 
me  to  my  throne  again.  I  am  not  fit ;  I 
know  neither  how  to  choose  my  ministers 
nor  how  to  rob  the  people  through  them. 
The  first  I  cannot  learn,  the  last  I  refuse 
to  learn.  Now,  my  aunt,  am  I  fit  for  a 
King  either  way  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  the  Duchess;  "  I  will  ad- 
vise you." 

"You  have  already  attempted  it,"  re- 
plied the  King  without  bitterness. 

"  I  was  not  in  Belgarde.  I  will  go," 
boomed  the  Duchess. 

The  King  turned  instinctively  to  me. 

"  Will  you  be  there  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  gentle  supplication  in  his  eyes  won 
me  completely. 

"  I  will,"  I  answered  firmly. 

"  As  what  ?  "  demanded  the  Duchess, 
with  an  ominous  ring  in  her  deep  voice. 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          in 

"  As  whatever  I  choose,"  said  the  King 
haughtily. 

"  Give  me  a  regiment,"  I  cried, — "  I  ask 
for  no  pay  ;  give  me  a  regiment,  your 
Majesty  ! " 

Madge  Grey  leaned  over  to  me,  drop- 
ping her  voice  :  "  You  never  commanded 
soldiers  !  "  she  said  ;  "  I  do  not  wish  you 


to." 


"  *  I  'm  going  for  a  soldier  now/  "  I  whis- 
pered laughing ;  "  I  'm  going  to  stir  up 
the  world  a  bit.  It  owes  me  a  little 
pleasure." 

The  King  was  looking  at  me  all  the 
time.  I  raised  my  head  and  smiled  at 
him. 

"  I  am  not  a  military  man,"  I  said,  "but 
with  your  Majesty's  permission  I  '11  try 
my  hand  at  it.  There  will  be  fighting  on 
the  frontier  before  we  enter.  Let  me  re- 
cruit a  regiment  after  my  own  fashion. 
I  '11  go  bail  your  Majesty  will  hear  from 


us." 


"  Do  you  want  nothing  in  return  ? " 
asked  the  King  incredulously. 

"  Nothing  except  exemption  from  any 
superior's  orders." 


ii2    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

General  Bombwitz  blew  out  his  cheeks 
furiously  and  coughed  three  times. 

"  But,"  said  the  King,  "  I  want  you 
near  me, — near  to  my  person." 

"  That's  just  it,"  I  replied  calmly,  "I 
propose  to  make  my  regiment  your  Body- 
guard, and  to  answer  for  your  life  and  suc- 
cessful entry  into  Belgarde,  with  my  own 
life  and  the  lives  of  every  trooper  in  my 
command." 

The  King's  broad  freckled  face  flushed. 

"  Life-guards  do  no  fighting,"  he  said. 

"This  Life-guard  will  lead  in  every 
fight !  Your  Majesty,  hear  me  ! — that  is 
the  only  way  a  Monarch  should  re-enter 
his  own, — with  bared  sword  !  " 

"You  are  right !"  said  the  King, — but 
in  my  other  hand  I  shall  bear  free  pardon 
for  all." 

"  What !  "  cried  the  Duchess. 

"  For  all ! "  repeated  the  King.  "  Mr. 
Steen,  I  accept  your  services." 

"May  I  choose  my  officers?"  I  asked. 

"  Choose  at  will." 

"  Then  I  take  his  Grace  of  Taxil  and 
his  Grace  of  Babu,"  I  said  very  loudly  ; 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          113 

"and  I  urgently  solicit  the  aid  and  advice 
of  General  Bombwitz  !  " 

A  stupor  seemed  to  seize  the  three  men- 
tioned gentlemen,  but  the  King  sprang  to 
his  feet  and  cried;  "Obey!"  And  the 
three  rose  and  came  toward  me,  mechan- 
ically bringing  their  heels  together  and 
halting  at  attention. 

"  Gentlemen,"  I  said,  "  his  Majesty  is 
going  back  to  Belgarde  or  you  and  I 
won't  linger  very  long  in  this  pleasant 
world.  I  am  going  to  recruit  a  regiment 
and  you  and  I  and  that  regiment  are  go- 
ing to  gallop  behind  his  Majesty  into  Bel- 
garde  before  the  snow  flies.  Do  your 
duty  and  you  will  be  in  at  the  death  ; 
shirk  it  and  death  will  be  into  you.  That 
is  all." 

Then  I  turned  to  the  King  and  said ; 
"  Permit  me,  your  Majesty,  to  suggest 
that  you  send  General  Bombwitz  at  once 
to  the  King  of  Caucasia." 

"  I  will,"  said  the  King. 

Bombwitz  reddened  with  pleasure. 

"He  shall  be  off  to-night,"  I  said. 
"  The  two  horses  are  good, — I  will  give 


ii4    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

him  my  milkman,  Georgiades,  as  guide 
and  escort." 

"But,"  said  the  King,"  "suppose  that 
in  the  meantime  the  Russian  spies  come 
into  the  valley  ?  " 

"  Listen,"  I  said,  "  I  will  see  Constan- 
tine,  my  butcher.  He  lives  in  a  little 
house  on  the  Taxil  high-road,  just  above 
the  notch.  If  any  stranger  should  pass 
through  the  notch  he  shall  either  come 
and  warn  us,  or,  if  he  has  no  time  for  that, 
he  shall  set  a  signal, — a  red  rag  tied  to  a 
tree  on  the  mountain  side  where  anybody 
from  the  house  can  see  it." 

The  King  nodded  and  gave  his  hand 
to  aid  the  Duchess  who  wanted  to  rise. 

"  One  thing  more,"  I  said;  "tell  Gen- 
eral Bombwitz  to  ask  the  King  of  Cau- 
casia to  send  you  ,£10,000  in  gold.  This 
Body-guard  is  going  to  be  paid." 

"  You  are  learning  military  science  very 
fast,"  said  the  King  smiling;  "it  shall  be 
done." 

One  by  one  we  filed  out  of  the  grove 
and  took  the  narrow  path  again.  Lina's 
dainty  figure  was  far  in  advance.  She 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          115 

was  obliged  to  bear  Mops  and  the  grunts 
of  the  Duchess.  I  looked  after  her  wist- 
fully. 

"  Are  you  coming,"  said  a  low  voice  at 
my  elbow. 

"Yes,"  I  said,  "shall  I  lead,  Madge?" 

"  No  ;  walk  beside  me.  Why  do  you 
take  this  foolish  risk  ?  " 

"What  risk?" 

"  A  soldiers?" 

"  Nonsense,"  I  laughed— 

"  I  '11  break  the  fighting  line,  as  you  broke  your  plighted  vow, 
For  I  'm  going  for  a  soldier  now !  " 

"  Suppose- — suppose  I  made  another 
vow  ?  " 

But  I  swore  under  my  breath  that  I  had 
had  enough  of  hell  for  this  life  and  I  did 
not  reply. 

"Sten,"  she  said,  "are  you  going?" 

"  Yes,"  I  replied  pleasantly. 

Then  we  spoke  of  other  things ;  how 
she,  visiting  the  castle  of  Lauterschnapps 
on  the  Duchess*  invitation,  came  to  gb 
first  to  the  Austrian  capital  and  then  to 
the  Tiflix  Valley. 


n6    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  It  was  very  simple,"  she  said  ;  "  my 
hostess  the  Duchess  was  obliged  to  go  and 
I  saw  that  it  would  be  interesting,  so  I 
begged  her  to  take  me.  When  the  Em- 
peror of  Austria  was  compelled  to  decline 
to  receive  the  King,  the  Duchess  set  out 
to  find  him  and  warn  him.  In  Sofia  we 
learned  he  was  on  his  way  and  we  headed 
him  off;  that's  all." 

"  When  are  you  going  back  with  the 
Duchess  ?  "  I  enquired. 

"  Are  you  so  anxious  to  see  the  last  of 
me  ?  "  she  asked  abruptly. 

"  No.  But  you  can't  stay  here  and  be 
mixed  up  in  these  plots  and  intrigues.  If 
they  catch  us,  you  know,  we  will  all  follow 
Panitza  and  Stambouloff.  Then  what 
will  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  can  take  care  of  myself,"  she  said, 
tossing  her  head. 

By  this  time  we  had  reached  the  high- 
road again. 

"  Sten,"  she  said  after  a  long  silence, 
"  don't  do  this  thing." 

"  What  thing  ?  " 

"  Turn  soldier." 


Ten  Minutes  Grace.          117 

I  looked  at  her  narrowly.  "  Would 
you  have  me  back  out  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  But  that  is  dishonorable.  I  am  com- 
mitted." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  she  bitterly,  "  what  fools 
men  are  ! " 

"  God  begins  us  so,"  said  I,  "  and  wo- 
man finishes  the  work." 

After  a  moment  Madge  said  ;  "  Yes- 
hut  God  made  women  also.      It  is  not  our 
fault." 

So  we  two  fools  walked  on  along  the 
dusty  highway,  comforting  ourselves  with 
the  wisdom  of  our  own  folly. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    TOILET    OF    MOPS. 

THE  next  day  I  sent  Taxil  to  Paris. 
He  bore  a  note  from  me  to  my 
old    friend    Clisson,    ex-captain    in    the 
5oth  Chasseurs  d'Afrique.     This  was  the 
note  : 

"  MON    BEAU-SABREUR  I 

"  You  are  always  grumbling  because  there  is  noth- 
ing going  on.  Now  your  chance  has  come.  King 
Theobald  of  Boznovia  wants  six  hundred  young 
men  who  have  cut  their  teeth  and  who  know  how  to 
cleave  other  people's.  If  you  want  a  commission  to 
lead  any  such  young  men,  it 's  ready  for  you.  The 
lighter  their  touch  on  hilt  and  trigger,  the  sooner 
they  '11  touch  their  pensions.  Their  pensions  and 
perquisites  await  them  in  Belgarde,  but  they  must 
fetch  them  out  on  the  points  of  their  sabres. 

If,  by  accident,  six  hundred  such  young  men 

should  meet  in  Bazoum,  which  city,  you  are  aware, 

is  the  capital  of  Caucasia,  it  is  dollars  to  doughnuts 

and  francs  to  fromage  that  they  would  find  six  hun- 

118 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.  1 19 

dred  horses   awaiting   them,  six   hundred   scarlet 
tunics,  and  six  hundred  sabres.     Draw  on  me  at 
sight  for  what  you  need.     Drexel  is  my  banker. 
In  three  weeks,  then,  in  Bazoum. 

"  STEPHEN  STEEN." 

P.S.     Is   a  field  marshall's   uniform  becoming  to 
you  ?  " 

I  walked  with  Taxil  as  far  as  the  notch 
in  the  mountains.  Here  Constantine,  my 
butcher,  was  ready  with  an  ein-spanner  to 
drive  him  to  the  Ezrox  Station  on  the 
Carpathian  and  Asiatic  Railway. 

"  Good-bye,"  said  I,  pressing  his  hand, 
"  you  have  plenty  of  money  and  plenty 
of  time.  I  expect  you  to  succeed." 

Then  I  turned  to  the  driver,  my 
butcher  :  "  Constantine,  when  you  return 
from  the  station  don't  forget  about  your 
red  signal  rag  if  anybody  enters  the 
notch." 

Constantine  grinned  and  nodded. 

Taxil  drew  me  aside. 

"  You  promise  me  a  railroad  from  the 
Taxil  Mines  to  Belgarde  if  I  succeed?" 

"  Yes — the  King  has  promised." 

"  But  you?" 

"  The  King  has  promised,"  I  repeated. 


120    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Then  I  laid  my  hand  lightly  on  his 
sleeve, — he  wore  an  old  coat  of  mine  and 
looked  like  a  well  to  do  vine-grower. 

"  I  forgot  to  tell  you  what  I  promise  if 
you  don't  succeed,"  said  I  smiling. 

-What?" 

I  pointed  to  a  stone  wall.  "  File  of 
men  and  thirty  seconds'  grace." 

We  looked  steadily  into  each  other's 
eyes.  I  was  satisfied.  A  moment  later 
he  went  whirling  away  in  the  ein-spanner 
toward  the  Ezrox  Station. 

I  walked  thoughtfully  back  to  the  val- 
ley, switching  the  long  grass  with  my 
mountain  staff.  Once  or  twice  I  thought 
of  an  illustration  I  had  seen  in  Harper  s 
Weekly, — Major  Panitza  shot  to  death  in 
front  of  a  dead  wall. 

When  I  reached  the  house  the  sky-larks 
were  trilling  and  warbling  in  the  sky,  the 
thrushes  sang  in  the  thickets,  the  bull- 
finches whistled  from  the  cherry  trees. 
Gusts  and  dashes  of  music  came  from 
vineyards  and  maize  fields,  from  garden, 
hedge,  and  pasture,  until  the  whole  blue 
atmosphere  seemed  saturated  with  song. 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.  121 

"  There  will  be  louder  music  soon,"  I 
thought,  and  I  remembered  bitterly  how 
the  dull  boom  of  the  cannon  from  the 
Genghis  Pass  had  silenced  every  feathered 
chorister  in  the  Tiflix  Valley. 

I  found  the  King  in  his  bed-room  writ- 
ing proclamations  and  manifestos.  I  aided 
him  for  an  hour, — he  was  a  slow  penman 
and  a  slower  author, — and  after  a  while 
he  left  it  all  to  me  and  returned  to  the 
study  of  the  map  of  Boznovia  which  I  had 
found  for  him  in  my  library. 

Babu  was  in  his  room, -- locked  in 
and  involuntarily  undergoing  a  primitive 
Keeley  cure  on  constantly  reduced  and 
diluted  doses  of  cognac.  The  native  Ser- 
vian remedy,  the  powdered  Ispha  nut, 
he  had  refused  to  take  at  first,  but,  as  the 
days  passed  and  the  rations  of  cognac 
grew  smaller  and  weaker,  he  swallowed  it 
in  desperation,  and  recovered  his  appetite 
which  the  use  of  the  nut  invariably  excites. 
So  began  the  cure  of  his  Grace  of  Babu. 

The  week  wore  away  uneventfully  It 
was  too  early  yet  to  hear  from  General 
Bombwitz  or  from  Taxil.  Every  morn- 


122    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

ing  I  fixed  my  marine  glasses  on  the 
notch,  but  no  red  signal  rag  fluttered 
from  the  designated  tree  top  and  I  knew 
that  so  far  we  were  safe.  It  had  been 
agreed  that  the  twenty-four  hours  should 
be  cut  into  six  watches,  the  Duchess, 
Madge  Grey,  Lina,  Obadiah,  the  King, 
and  myself,  to  take  turns  examining  the 
notch  with  the  field  glasses.  Babu,  of 
course  was  exempt  ;  he  was  too  earnestly 
occupied  in  getting  cured  to  be  trusted  yet. 

Constantine  stretched  a.  silk  cord  across 
the  pass  every  night.  One  end  of  the 
cord  connected  with  a  bell  just  above  his 
head.  Occasionally  a  passing  deer  or 
chamois  would  ring  him  up  and  he  would 
bound  out  of  bed  to  investigate,  ready,  at 
sight  of  a  human  figure,  to  light  and  hoist 
his  little  red  lamp  on  the  pine  tree  above 
the  notch.  Once  a  great  Carpathian  bear 
snapped  the  cord  and  Constantine,  rush- 
ing out,  found  the  bear  awaiting  him  in 
pleased  surprise.  It  was  a  narrow  escape 
and  well  worth  the  fifty  marks  that  I  gave 
him  for  his  devotion. 

Madge  and   I   seldom  saw  each  other 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.  123 

alone.  She  passed  most  of  her  time  with 
the  Duchess  in  their  rooms.  The  King 
worked  steadily  at  his  maps  and  mani- 
festos, and  also  on  a  list  of  proposed  re- 
forms for  Boznovia,  every  one  of  which 
he  discussed  with  me.  Those  that  I 
recommended  he  retained,  those  that  the 
Duchess  approved  he  usually  struck  out. 

I  myself  was  studying  German,  French, 
English,  and  American  cavalry  tactics. 
The  result  was  first  chaos,  then  amended 
and  revised  tactics  of  my  own.  What 
knowledge  I  possessed  of  a  military  na- 
ture had  been  acquired  while  I  was  a 
trooper  in  the  New  York  Dragoons,  a 
volunteer  battalion  that  was  noted  for 
its  proficiency  at  banquets  and  cotillons. 
It's  not  such  bad  training  either,  for, 
although  a  little  knowledge  is  dangerous, 
a  great  deal  of  knowledge  sometimes  pre- 
vents people  from  daring  to  do  anything. 

So  I  studied  Upton,  Esterhazy,  Sheri- 
dan, and  de  Gallifet,  until  I  didn't  know 
the  difference  between  horse-marines  and 
horse-chestnuts  ;  and  I  gave  it  up. 

"  This  regiment  of  mine,"  said  I  to  my- 


124    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

self,  "  shall  be  run  by  Steen's  tactics, 
unadopted,  unauthorized,  and  uncopy- 
righted.  I  '11  give  the  horses  condensed 
fodder  and  cealine ;  I  '11  give  the  men 
pemmican  and  Bull's  concentrated  beef 
pellets,  and  I  '11  gallop  them  at  anything 
that  blocks  the  way  to  Belgarde.  If  the 
King  of  Caucasia  does  n't  like  it  he  can 
keep  his  opinion  to  himself ;  but  I  '11  bet 
that  my  troopers  ride  into  Belgarde  as 
soon  as  his." 

One  sunny  afternoon  toward  the  end 
of  the  week  I  left  the  King  and  his  mani- 
festos, and  went  down-stairs  to  the  porch. 
It  was  Obadiah's  watch.  I  saw  him  un- 
der the  orchard  trees,  a  battered  brass 
telescope  across  his  knees,  staring  toward 
the  notch  as  though  hypnotized. 

"  You  'd  better  close  your  mouth, 
'Diah,"  I  suggested,  "you  know  some 
birds  are  nesting  yet." 

The  cavern  closed  with  a  dazzling  dis- 
play of  ivory. 

"  Whose  watch  is  it  next  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  H'it  am  de  Duchess  watch,  Mars' 
Steen,"  said  Obadiah. 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.  125 

I  looked  at  my  time-piece. 

"  Go  and  notify  her  now.  Has  Miss 
Grey  passed  this  way  ?  " 

"Yessah." 

"  Up  the  road?" 

"Yessah." 

I  turned  and  looked  up  the  white  high- 
way. Far  away  near  the  hill-top,  a  figure 
was  silhouetted  against  the  blue. 

"  Go  and  find  her  Grace,"  I  said,  and 
started  up  the  road  to  overtake  Madge 
Grey. 

"  She  's  going  to  make  the  tour  by  the 
Tschiska,"  I  thought ;  "  I  '11  surprise  her 
in  the  woods  by  the  mile  post.  Hello  ! 
She  's  taken  that  cursed  lap-dog  with 
her." 

As  I  spoke  the  distant  figure  turned 
sharply  into  the  woods  just  where  the 
little  forest  path  leaves  the  high-road  by 
the  mile  post.  I  walked  on  at  a  good 
swinging  pace,  puffing  my  cigarette  and 
glancing  right  and  left  across  the  clover- 
scented  pastures  where  clouds  of  white 
butterflies  drifted  and  eddied  with  every 
wandering  breeze. 


i26    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

The  bitter  memory  of  what  I  had  suf- 
fered from  Marjory  Grey's  caprice  had 
given  place  to  a  serene,  almost  contented 
acceptance  of  the  situation.  A  week  ago 
she  knew  that  I  loved  her,  and  I,  know- 
ing that  she  knew  it,  had  asked  her  if  she 
loved  me.  Her  answer  gave  me  a  mo- 
ment's agony,  an  hour's  anger,  and  that 
ended  it. 

When  her  coquetry  led  her  to  allow 
me  another  ray  of  hope,  I  knew  too  much 
to  be  dazzled.  And  now  I  had  come  to 
accept  it  as  it  was  ;  I  had  tried  to  stamp 
out  the  last  ember  of  love  for  her,  and  I 
told  myself  that  I  had  succeeded.  Angry 
pride  and  the  philosopher's  stone  are 
said  to  be  great  transmuters. 

When  I  came  to  the  mile  post  I  called 
aloud,  and  my  voice  echoed  far  in  the  for- 
est, fainter,  fainter,  until  the  dry  chatter 
of  a  magpie  drowned  the  last  lingering 
note. 

"  Now  she  '11  wait  for  me,"  I  thought, 
and  I  entered  the  leafy  path. 

There  were  several  reasons,  I  told  my- 
self, why  I  wished  to  join  Madge  Grey 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.          1 2  7 

on  her  afternoon  walk ;  one  was  because 
I  preferred  any  good  company  to  my 
own  ;  another,  because  the  forest  was  not 
perfectly  safe.  Bears  occasionally  came 
into  the  valley  from  their  dens  on  the  Os- 
man  Peak,  and  a  she-bear  with  cubs  was 
downright  dangerous.  The  small  wild- 
cats never  bothered  people,  although 
again,  a  female  with  kittens  had  once 
come  at  me  sideways,  spitting  like  mad, 
back  arched,  and  tail  swollen  half  as  large 
as  her  body.  These  I  considered  very 
good  reasons  for  joining  Madge  Grey. 
To  tell  the  truth,  there  was  also  a  third 
reason  :  I  was  not  unwilling  that  Mar- 
jory should  see  how  completely  cured  I 
was. 

So  I  strode  on  contentedly  through 
the  trees,  smelling  the  sweet  wild  wood 
perfumes,  stooping  at  times  to  pluck  a 
long  stemmed  orchid  to  add  to  the  wood- 
land bouquet  for  Madge's  belt. 

Once  a  thought  came  into  my  head 
that  bothered  me.  It  was  this  :  Why,  if 
I  was  cured  of  my  love  for  Marjory  Grey, 
should  I  quit  my  pheasants  and  trout  and 


128    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

rose-bowered  house,  to  risk  life,  limb,  and 
fortune  for  a  dull-witted  Boznovian  ?  Sup- 
pose it  were  possible  to  back  out  without 
dishonor  ;  would  I  be  satisfied  now  to 
Jive  the  rest  of  my  life  in  the  Tiflix  Val- 
ley ?  At  the  very  thought  of  it  a  horror 
seized  me.  No,  it  was  impossible  now. 
Whatever  it  had  been  that  stirred  my 
sluggish  blood, — whether  it  was  the  com- 
ing of  Madge,  or  the  glimpse  of  the  world 
I  had  quitted, — whether  it  was  the  thirst 
for  action  or  merely  the  curiosity  to  see 
how  the  King  would  bear  himself,  I  did 
not  know.  One  thing  was  certain  ;  the 
valley  was  too  small  for  me  now.  Physi- 
cal and  mental  activity  I  craved  ;  and  I 
stood  a  fair  chance  of  being  satisfied. 

Thinking  these  thoughts  I  hastened  on, 
adding  now  and  then  to  my  bouquet  of 
white  and  orange  orchids  ;  and  at  last  I 
caught  the  flutter  of  a  gown  ahead  of  me 
and  I  saw  a  figure  moving  slowly  through 
the  covert. 

Suddenly  Mops  barked :  the  figure 
turned.  It  was  not  Marjory  Grey. 

I    stood  a  moment   silent,    awkwardly 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.  129 

holding  my  bouquet  of  orchids.  Then  I 
said  : 

"  Lina,  where  is  Miss  Grey  ?  " 

"  Miss  Grey  is  ill  with  a  headache,  Mr. 
Steen." 

"In  the  house  ?" 

"  Yes  sir." 

"  It  Js  that  idiot  Obadiah,"  I  said  smil- 
ing, "he  mistook  you  for  Miss  Grey." 

Lina  looked  at  Mops. 

"  Lina,"  said  I,  "would  Mops  object  if 
I  walked  a  little  way  with  you  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  sir." 

"Would  you  object?" 

"  Oh  no  sir, — if  you  wish  to." 

I  walked  up  to  her  and  slipped  the 
orchids  into  her  belt.  She  said  nothing. 
Mops  growled. 

"  Shall  we  walk  ?  "  said  I. 

And  we  moved  on. 

She  had  taken  off  her  hat  and  the  sun- 
light filtering  through  the  leafy  roof  above, 
burnished  her  small  golden  head.  She 
held  the  hat  between  the  thumb  and  fore- 
finger of  her  left  hand  and  swung  it 
gently  as  she  walked.  A  thrush  peered 


i3°    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

at  her  from  a  Tucha-bush  and  sang  three 
sweet  notes;  a  cock-pheasant  drummed 
the  long  roll  in  honor  of  her  loveliness. 

"  Lina,"    said  I,    "  this   forest   is   very 
beautiful.     It  lacked  a  dryad  before  you 


came." 


When  I  said  this  I  was  quite  certain 
that  Lina  had  never  heard  of  dryads. 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said  demurely,  "  I 
have  often  longed  to  live  in  a  tree." 

So  she  did  know  about  dryads.  I  dimly 
wondered  if  it  were  possible  that  Lina  was 
making  fun  of  me. 

"  Would  you  rather  I  compared  you  to 
a  water  nymph  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  It  might  be  more  suitable.  I  am  go- 
ing to  wash  Mops  in  the  Tschiska." 

I  noticed  that  she  had  dropped  the 
'sir,'  in  speaking  to  me. 

"  Hm  !  I  may  be  able  to  assist  you,"  I 
said.  "I  observed  last  week  that  you 
leaned  dangerously  far  over  the  pool. 
My  arms  are  always  at  your  disposal, — 
what  are  you  singing,  Lina  ?  " 

"  I  sing  of  arms  and  the  man,"  she  re- 
plied. 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.  131 

The  silence  lasted  a  minute. 

"  You  are  fond  of  Virgil?"  I  enquired 
coldly. 

"In  the  original,  Mr.  Steen." 

This  was  both  astonishing  and  irritat- 
ing. I  knew  that  it  was  time  to  assert 
myself  so  I  took  her  hand  in  mine,  very 
gently,  and  slipped  one  arm  around  her 
waist.  She  said  nothing.  After  a  mo- 
ment, I  kissed  her. 

"  Do  you  mind  ?  "  I  asked. 

"It  is  your  duty  to  combat  supersti- 
tion," she  said  gravely. 

"  Then,"  said  I  enthusiastically,  "  I  will 
begin  again  ! " 

"  But  I  am  already  converted — " 

"  No,  no!"  I  cried,  horrified,  "some 
doubts  must  still  linger— 

"  None." 

"Not  one?" 

"  Well— perhaps— one  little  one—" 

Thus  we  passed  through  the  forest, 
fighting  our  doubts  and  superstitions. 

When  we  came  to  the  Tschiska  we  sat 
down  on  the  sunny  bank,  and  she  took 
Mops  in  her  lap  to  remove  his  hideous 


132    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

pink  ribbons.  He  knew  what  that  meant, 
and  moaned. 

"Yes,"  said  I,  appreciating  his  misery, 
"  the  water  is  cold  !  You  may  well  moan 
and  shiver,  you  nasty  German  lap-dog ! " 

"  Poor  Mops,"  remarked  Lina. 

"  Poor  Mops,"  I  repeated  hypocritically. 

"  You  need  n't  say  that,"  said  Lina, 
"  you  know  you  hate  him." 

She  carried  him,  struggling  and  yelping 
to  the  pool  and  rolled  him  in.  The  miser- 
able cur  immediately  swam  out  again. 

"  Let  me  fix  him,"  I  suggested. 

"  You  won't  hurt  him  ?" 

"  I  never  hurt  animals, — even  perverted 
lap-dogs,"  said  I,  and  I  tossed  Mops  into 
the  centre  of  the  pool. 

The  dog  swam  at  once,  not  back  to  the 
shore  but  out  to  a  warm  flat  rock  that 
lay  half  submerged  in  the  middle  of  the 
Tschiska. 

"  Now,"  said  Lina  desperately,  "  he 
won't  come  back  till  we  get  up  to  go 
home." 

It  was  true.  Threats,  entreaties,  se- 
ductive whistling,  had  no  effect.  Mops 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.          133 

sat  on  the  warm  rock  and  licked  his  drip- 
ping flanks,  casting  evil  oblique  glances  at 
me. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  said  I,  possessing  myself 
of  one  of  Lina's  small  soft  hands. 

As  we  sat  there,  silent,  listening  to  the 
ripple  of  the  Tschiska  among  its  pebbles, 
it  came  into  my  mind  that  the  world  was 
no  whited  sepulchre  after  all.  I  looked 
side- ways  at  Lina.  How  quiet  she  was, 
sweet  and  pale  as  a  forest  blossom.  I  re- 
membered the  Duchess  von  Schwiggle 
with  her  granitic  face  and  her  thick  ankles. 

"  Von  Schwiggle?"  I  thought  to  my- 
self contemptuously ;  "  her  name  should 
be  Bauer  and  she  should  sell  slabs  of  carp 
flesh  in  the  Au  on  Fridays." 

Lina  raised  her  eyes  to  mine. 

"  What  is  your  other  name  ?  "  I  asked 
gently. 

"  My  other  name,  Mr.  Steen  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  shall  tell  you." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  I,  "  I  know  what 
it  ought  to  be." 

"  What  ?— Mr.  Steen." 


134    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Oh  von  or  zii  something  or  other  " — 

"  But — dear  me  ! — I  am  not  a  German." 

"  Not  German  ! "  I  cried  delighted, 
"  there  !  I  knew  you  could  n't  be  ! " 

"  But  my  name  is  Lina." 

"  That 's  true,—" 

"  Suppose  I  should  tell  you  it  is  n't 
Lina  ?  " 

"Tell  me  then." 

"  But  it  is  Lina." 

"  Oh." 

"  Not  my  first  name." 

"  You  have  three  names  ?  " 

"  I  have  six.  I  Ve  a  mind  to  tell  you 
some  of  them,— 

"  Don't  tease,  Lina." 

"  Very  well,  my  name  is  Dorothy — 

"Dorothea?" 

"  No,  that 's  German  ;  Dorothy  Eileen 
Marguerite  Inez— 

"  You  're  teasing  again  ! " 

"  No,  really,  all  those  are  my  names." 

"  Then  you  are  French.  Yet  you  don't 
speak  French  exactly  as  French  people 
do—" 

"  Don't  I,"  she  laughed,  clapping  her 
small  hands  delighted. 


The  Toilet  of  Mops.          135 

"Oh  tell  me,  Lina!" 

"  My  last  name?" 

-Yes,— please!" 

"  No,"  she  said  decidedly,  "  I  will  not 
tell  you." 

"  It  would  be  easy  for  me  to  ask  the 
Duchess,"  I  said  laughing. 

"  The  Duchess  !  Oh,  she  '11  tell  you 
that  my  name  is  Lina  Cherbuez." 

"And  it  isn't?" 

"No,  it  isn't." 

"  When  did  you  enter  the  Duchess' 
service?" 

"  The  day  she  left  schloss  Lauter- 
schnapps."  I  was  disappointed  and  she 
saw  it. 

"  Listen,"  she  said,  "  I  went  to  her 
Grace  well  recommended  and  she  took 
me  because  her  own  travelling  companion 
was  ill.  I  am  not  an  ordinary  maid,  Mr. 
Steen." 

"  I  know  you  're  a  sweet  little  maid, — " 

"  I  speak  six  languages,"  she  said. 

"Do  you  play?" 

"  Harp,  lute,  violin,  and  piano," 

I  looked  down  at  her  lovely  aristocratic 
fingers. 


136    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  I  was  not  mistaken,'*  said  I  ;  "  I  might 
have  known  it  also  from  your  voice  and 
language." 

"What?" 

"  That  you  are  well-born." 

"  I  am  not,"  she  said  slowly. 

"Then  who  in  Heaven's  name  is?"  I 
cried. 

"  Her  Grace  the  Dowager  Duchess  von 
Schwiggle,"  said  Lina,  and  solemnly 
tossed  a  pebble  into  the  water  at  our  feet. 
Even  the  ripples  laughed. 

"Mr.  Steen,"  she  said  as  we  rose  to  go  ; 
"  I  would  rather  you  did  not  mention  the 
list  of  my  names  and  accomplishments  to 
anybody  until  I  give  you  permission." 

Of  course  I  promised,  wondering  a 
little. 

"  Come,"  she  said,  shyly  holding  out 
one  hand. 

We  had  gone  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  when  Mops  appeared  behind  us. 

"  I  knew  he  'd  come,"  said  Lina  gaily. 

"  Who  would  n't  ?"  I  muttered. 

The  human  heart  is  fearfully  and  won- 
derfully made  ; — so  is  the  skeleton  of  the 
domestic  mule. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    SLUMBER    OF    THE     DUCHESS. 

WHEN  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
house  I  could  see  nobody  but 
the  Duchess.  She  was  lying  in  a  steamer 
chair  under  the  trees,  the  brass  telescope 
in  her  lap,  her  geological  face  turned  tow- 
ard the  notch. 

"  Her  Grace  keeps  good  watch,"  said  I ; 
"  do  you  suppose  she  '11  raise  Cain  be- 
cause you  and  I  return  together?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Lina  ;  "  I  believe 
her  Grace  is  asleep." 

"  Asleep  ! "  I  cried  anxiously.  We  stood 
still,  staring  at  the  Duchess.  I  stepped 
forward,  lifted  the  telescope  from  her 
Grace's  lap,  and  levelled  it  at  the  notch. 

The  red  rag  was  fluttering  from  the 
signal  tree  ! 

"  Are  you  ill  ?  "  asked  Lina,  "  you  have 
turned  quite  white."  I  handed  her  the 
137 


138    A  King  and  a  Few  Duke. 

glass  and  laid  my  hand  on  the  Duchess' 
arm. 

"  Come,"  I  said  coldly,  as  she  sat  up 
gaping  and  blinking ;  "  the  signal  flag  is 
flying  and  who  knows  how  long  it 's  been 
there  ?  Somebody  is  in  the  valley,  how 
near  nobody  can  tell.  You  have  betrayed 
your  trust,  Madame  ;  it 's  a  bad  beginning 
for  an  arch-conspirator." 

"  Herr  Je  ! "  gasped  her  Grace. 

"  Precisely,"  I  replied,  "  he  has  us  in  his 
keeping.  Go  to  the  King,  Madame,  and 
bundle  him  out  of  sight.  And  keep  your- 
self and  Babu  out  of  sight, — go  quickly, 
Madame,  or  by  Heaven  I  '11  drop  the 
whole  affair  ! " 

Lina  assisted  the  dazed  Duchess 
through  the  garden  and  into  the  house. 
I  walked  back  to  the  porch,  called  Oba- 
diah,  gave  him  all  necessary  instructions, 
and  sat  down  with  my  eyes  fixed  on  the 
turn  of  the  road. 

I  had  not  been  there  five  minutes,  when, 
without  the  least  warning,  two  figures  ap- 
peared, noiselessly  speeding  toward  me, 
mounted  on  bicycles.  Before  I  could  rise 


The  Slumber  of  the  Duchess.      139 

they  were  at  the  gate,  dismounted,  and 
walking  lightly  up  the  path. 

I  returned  their  careful  salute,  and  bade 
them  enter.  There  was  no  mistaking 
their  faces  ;  they  were  Russians. 

"  Excelenz,"  said  the  taller  man,  who 
wore  a  rough  English  cycling  suit,  "  I  am 
looking  for  my  master,  the  Duke  of  Taxil. 
Has  he  passed  this  way  ?  " 

"  A  gentleman  who  called  himself  the 
Duke  of  Taxil  passed  through  here,"  I 
replied. 

"  Alone  ?  " 

"  No,"  there  were  two  others  with  him. 
They  stopped  at  my  house  for  a  while." 

"  Were  they  hungry  ?  " 

"  Hungry  and  thirsty,"  I  said  laughing. 
"  And  if  that  is  your  condition  also,  pray 


come  in." 


"  Thank  you,"  said  the  taller  man, 
speaking  the  beautiful  English  that  many 
Russians  master  so  easily,  "  we  are  rather 
pressed  for  time.  May  I  ask  which  way 
the  Duke  of  Taxil  and  his  party  went  ? " 

"  The  Duke  of  Taxil  passed  through 
the  notch  at  daybreak  this  morning." 


140  A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

The  men  exchanged  glances.  I  could 
see  that  they  were  puzzled. 

"Are  you  sure  of  this?"  asked  the 
taller  man. 

"  Why  yes.     I  saw  him  go." 

"  I  only  ask,"  continued  the  man,  "  be- 
cause it  was  expected  that  he  would  go 
the  other  way  toward  Austria.  Thank 
you,  Excelenz, — no,  we  cannot  stop, — we 
are  much  indebted  to  you." 

"  Now,"  thought  I,  "  everything  is  easy. 
Let  them  chase  Taxil  to  the  notch.  They 
never  can  guess  that  the  old  vine-grower 
who  took  the  Carpathian  and  Asiatic  Ex- 
press is  the  Duke  of  Taxil.  Besides  they 
take  it  for  granted  that  the  King  and 
Babu  are  with  him.  All  is  well,"  I  thought 
gleefully,  watching  them  where  they  stood 
preparing  to  mount  their  wheels.  And 
all  would  have  been  well  had  not  Lina 
suddenly  appeared  at  the  door.  I  heard 
her  footstep  behind  me  and  turned,  horri- 
fied. She  looked  at  me,  saw  my  frown, 
and  at  the  same  moment  her  eyes  fell  on 
the  two  cyclists.  It  took  me  only  a  second 
to  make  up  my  mind. 


The  Slumber  of  the  Duchess.      141 

"  Of  course,  my  dear,"  I  said,  rising  and 
taking  Lina's  hand  affectionately,  "  I  will 
ask  them  to  wait  long  enough  to  drink  a 
stirrup  cup."  And  I  walked  out  to  the 
gate  smiling. 

"My  wife,"  said  I,  "  thinks  that  I  show 
small  hospitality  and  begs  you  will  wait 
until  she  can  send  you  a  stirrup  cup  to 
speed  you  on  your  journey." 

The  two  cyclists  bowed.  I  could  detect 
nothing  in  their  faces  which  might  not 
have  been  natural  under  the  circumstances. 
At  a  signal  from  me,  Obadiah  brought 
out  a  bottle  of  Burgundy  and  three  glasses. 
We  all  turned  and  bowed  gravely  to  Lina, 
who  replied  with  a  quiet  inclination  of  her 
pretty  head  ;  then  we  touched  glasses  and 
solemnly  emptied  them. 

A  moment  later  the  cyclists  were  wheel- 
ing away  full  speed  toward  the  notch  and 
I  walked  back  to  the  porch,  biting  my 
moustache. 

"  By  jingo  ! "  I  said,  "  that  was  a  close 
call,  Lina.  Whatever  in  the  world  brought 
you  down.  Suppose  they  had  known  I 
was  n't  married  ?  " 


H2    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"It  was  an  accident,"  she  said,  "will 
Mr.  Steen  permit  me  to  felicitate  him  on 
his  perfect  sang  froid  ?  " 

In  her  eyes  and  voice  there  was  the 
faintest  tinge  of  irony,  and  I  resented  it. 

"  It  was  the  best  I  could  think  of,"  I 
said  sulkily ;  "  luck  was  with  me  I  admit. 
Why  did  you  come  down  ?  " 

"  I  heard  no  sound  and  how  was  I  to 
know  they  had  come  ?  Mops  is  in  the 
garden  and  I  thought  I  ought  to  dry  him. 
The  Duchess  would  be  inconsolable  if 
Mops  caught  cold— 

"  Mops  !  Mops  !  "  I  stammered  furi- 
ously,— "between  Mops  and  her  Grace 
we  '11  all  be  ruined !  "  Lina  turned  away 
and  I  walked  angrily  across  the  garden  to 
the  orchard. 

"  I  gave  Lina  credit  for  more  sense 
than  she  has,"  I  muttered,  throwing  my- 
self into  the  steamer  chair  and  fixing  the 
marine-glasses  on  the  signal  tree.  Ten 
minutes  later  I  lowered  the  glasses  with 
a  long  drawn  sigh. 

The  signal  flag  was  gone. 

That   evening   at  dinner  we  discussed 


The  Slumber  of  the  Duchess.      143 

it  very  seriously.  The  Duchess,  over- 
whelmed with  rage  and  mortification, 
made  no  sound  except  when  she  sucked 
her  soup  from  the  spoon.  Madge  Grey, 
the  King,  and  I  agreed  that  the  men  were 
spies  and  Russians.  The  King  had 
peeped  at  them  through  the  curtains  and 
he  insisted  that  they  were  Russians  from 
the  Caucasus. 

"I  know  the  breed,"  he  said,  "you 
can't  mistake  those  eyes  and  cheek  bones. 
Well,  I  'm  glad  it 's  all  right  but  it  was  a 
narrow  margin  for  some  of  us." 

I  looked  at  Lina.  She  stood  at  the 
Duchess'  elbow,  demure,  pensive  as  a  tired 
kitten. 

"  Where  the  devil,"  thought  I,  "  did  she 
get  her  beautiful  hands  ?  " 

Dinner  over,  the  Duchess,  Madge,  and 
Lina,  withdrew  to  their  rooms ;  the  King 
retired  to  smoke  his  faience  pipe  and  com- 
pose "  An  Appeal  to  the  Powers  "  ;  and 
Babu  and  I  wandered  aimlessly  from  the 
deserted  drawing-room  to  the  smoking- 
room,  then  through  the  dim  library  and 
the  gun-room,  out  onto  the  porch. 


144    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  I  trust  your  Grace  is  improving/'  said 
I,  "  the  Ispha  nut  is  an  astonishing 
remedy." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Duke  with  a  grimace, 
"it  is  more  astonishing  than  the  disease." 

"But,"  I  insisted,  "you  are  better; 
anybody  can  see  that.  You  have  an  ap- 
petite that  is  simply  royal." 

"  That  's  just  it,"  muttered  Babu,  "  it  's 
too  much  for  a  Duke.  You  are  diluting 
my  cognac  with  water— 

"  Of  course  :  to-morrow  I  'm  going  to 
dilute  your  water  with  cognac.  It 's  the 
only  way :  I  '11  have  no  drunkards  in  my 
regiment  and  I  have  you  slated  for  Cap- 
tain." 

"  That  's  all  very  well,"  said  his  Grace 
sulkily,  "  but  I  'm  a  naval  officer,  or  rather 
I  was,  and  I  don't  care  for  cavalry  service." 

I  thought  of  the  single  gun-boat  of  the 
Boznovian  navy  and  looked  at  the  Ad- 
miral. 

II  Do  you  miss  the  sea  ?  "  I  asked  gently. 
"  Well  no,"  replied  the  Duke,  "  I  was 

always  on  shore  duty  because  my  flag- 
ship ran  on  a  sand  bar  and  the  King  let  it 


The  Slumber  of  the  Duchess.      145 

stay  there."  Then  he  leaned  close  to  me 
and  whispered  confidentially  ;  "  The  truth 
is  the  Boznovian  navy  was  a  farce." 

"  No  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  It  was,"  he  insisted,  wagging  his  head 
and  shutting  his  great  round  eyes. 

After  a  moment  he  drew  out  a  bon-bon- 
niere,  swallowed  a  morsel  of  Ispha  nut 
with  every  symptom  of  displeasure,  and 
said  good-night.  I  looked  after  him, 
nodding  to  myself  contentedly,  then  I 
lighted  my  cigarette  and  sank  into  a  big 
cane  arm-chair  in  a  corner  of  the  porch. 

The  long  summer  day  was  nearly  ended. 
Pale  streaks  of  light  still  lingered  in  the 
west,  fading  slowly  from  faintest  rose  to 
pallid  yellow.  High  in  the  evening  air 
swallows  still  twittered  and  house-martins 
wheeled  and  squealed,  soaring  in  circles 
above  weather-vane  and  chimney-pot. 
From  the  lower  branches  of  the  apple- 
trees  came  the  plaintive  peep  of  roosting 
chickens  and  the  querulous  notes  of  sleepy 
turkeys ;  and  I  heard  the  drowsy  quack- 
ing of  ducks  and  the  murmur  of  geese 
among  the  sedges  of  the  meadow  mere. 


146    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

A  star  broke  out  in  the  darkening  zenith, 
then  another  and  another,  and  still  others, 
and  now  they  were  everywhere,  glimmer- 
ing, sparkling,  clustering  from  horizon  to 
horizon.  Had  the  night  fallen  so  swiftly  ? 
I  looked  around.  The  great  hawk-moths 
were  hovering  among  the  lilies,  now  only 
pale  patches  in  the  garden's  dusk.  Far 
in  the  forest  an  owl  hooted  twice.  Mist 
shrouded  the  pond.  It  was  night. 

And  with  the  night  came  Madge  Grey, 
softly  stepping  among  the  roses,  pushing 
aside  the  perfumed  branches  that  hung 
heavily  across  the  path.  She  did  not  see 
me  at  first, — it  was  the  glow  of  my  cigar- 
ette tip  in  the  dusk  that  warned  her. 

I  found  a  big  chair  for  her,  and  when 
she  was  comfortable,  I  resumed  my  seat 
in  the  corner.  For  a  long  time  we  sat 
there  in  silence  ;  I  let  my  cigarette  go  out 
and  dropped  the  end  on  the  lawn. 

She  spoke  first, — saying  something 
about  home,  I  believe.  I  heard  her,  but 
I  scarcely  comprehended  what  she  said. 
I  was  thinking,  marvelling  that  the  sound 
of  her  voice  no  longer  set  my  heart  beat- 


The  Slumber  of  the  Duchess.      147 

ing, — no  longer  sent  that  long  thrill  to 
the  tips  of  my  limbs.  Did  I  love  her 
yet  ?  Upon  my  soul  I  could  not  have 
answered  that  question. 

Presently  I  heard  myself  asking  :  "  Are 
you  sometimes  a  little  homesick,  Madge  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sometimes." 

"Now?" 

"  Yes.  Perhaps  it  is  the  perfume  of 
the  lilies—" 

"When  is  the  Duchess  going?" 

"  As  soon  as  the  Duke  of  Taxil  returns 
with  the  horses." 

"  Ah  ! "  I  exclaimed,  "  true— she  can't 
go  without  the  horses.  I  am  hoping  that 
Taxil  may  return  to-morrow." 

"So  soon?" 

"It's  nearly  a  week," 

"It  has  passed  swiftly  for  me,"  she  said 
simply. 

I  was  on  my  guard  at  once.  That  low 
voice  would  never  play  the  devil  with  me 
again  ! 

"  Then  the  Duchess,  I  suppose,  will 
take  you  back  to  schloss  Lauterschnapps 
with  her  ?  "  I  asked  pleasantly. 


148    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"Oh  yes,  I  suppose  so.  I  dread  it, 
Sten." 

"Why?  Is  n't  the  schloss  cheerful? 
Tell  me  a  little  about  this  stony  faced 
Dowager  and  her  stony  ribbed  castle." 

"If  you  like;  it's  not  gay, — you  may 
light  a  cigarette  if  you  wish,  Sten  ; — no,  it 
is  not  very  gay,  the  castle  of  Lauter- 
schnapps.  I  went  there  because  you  know 
the  Duchess  is  very  fond  of  Mamma.  She 
stood  up  for  her  when  Papa  ran  away  with 
her.  Imagine,  Sten,  how  it  must  feel  to 
have  a  mother  only  a  year  or  two  older 
than  yourself, — and  oh  so  beautiful  !  They 
say  that  Mamma  is  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful women  who  ever  came  to  Berlin, 
and  by  far  the  loveliest  that  ever  entered 
castle  Lauterschnapps, — except  the  Prin- 
cess Sylvia— 

"Who?" 

"  The  Princess  Sylvia, — you  know, — 
the  one  they  call  '  Witch  Sylvia.'" 

"  But  I  don't  know,"  I  insisted  ;  "is  she 
a  German  Princess  ?  " 

"Why  no.  I  mean  the  Princess  Sylvia 
of  Marmora.  Her  brother  was  put  on 


The  Slumber  of  the  Duchess.      149 

the  Boznovian  throne,  a  few  days  ago,  by 
the  Czar.  You  must  have  heard  of  him  ?  " 

"  I  believe  I  have,"  said  I,  smiling ; 
"is  n't  she  the  one  who  scandalizes  all 
Europe  by  doing  what  she  pleases  ?  " 

"  Of  course.  And  when  she  was  younger 
she  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  Duchess 
von  Schwiggle,  but  it  has  been  four  years 
since  the  Duchess  has  seen  her.  Do 
you  know  what  Witch  Sylvia  did  ?  She 
appeared  one  morning  at  a  schloss  boar- 
meet,  dressed  like  a  page  of  the  sixteenth 
century !  Imagine  the  horror  of  the 
Duchess.  She  has  never  set  eyes  on  the 
Princess  Sylvia  since." 

"  I  should  like  to  have  seen  it  all  the 
same,"  said  I. 

"  Oh,  they  say  she  was  simply  exquisite, 
with  her  blue  eyes  and  silky  dark  curls, 
and  her  hose  and  doublet  and  hawks- 
feather. — Really  I  don't  see  so  very  much 
harm  in  that,  do  you  ?  " 

"  I  ?     Not  at  all." 

"  Neither  do  I.  But  I  am  afraid  that, 
since  then,  her  escapades  have  not  been 
exactly  proper.  She  went  for  a  whole 


150    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

week  to  the  Carpathian  army  manoeuvres 
dressed  like  a  Moldovian  Hussar,  and 
nobody  found  it  out  until  the  Moldovian 
attache  complained.  They  say  when  Bis- 
marck heard  of  it  he  laughed  more  than 
he  had  since  England  was  chased  out  of 
the  Transvaal." 

"  But,"  said  I,  "what  did  her  brother 
do?" 

"  Her  brother  ?     He  's  afraid  of  her." 

"  He  must  make  a  fine  King  for  Boz- 
novia,"  I  observed. 

"No  worse  than  Theobald  of  Taxim- 
bourg,"  said  Madge,  dropping  her  voice. 
"  It  is  simply  a  crazy  scheme  to  try  to  force 
him  back  on  the  Boznovian  people." 

"  It  will  be  easy,"  said  I,  "  if  this  Prince 
of  Marmora  is  the  sort  of  man  who  is 
afraid  of  his  sister." 

"True,"  she  said,  "but  if  his  sister,  the 
Princess  Sylvia,  undertakes  to  repel  your 
invasion,  I  would  n't  give  three  bronze 
pfennings  for  the  chances  of  Theobald  of 
Boznovia." 

"  We  will  see,"  said  I,  somewhat  net- 
tled. 


The  Slumber  of  the  Duchess.      151 

"  Ah,  that  is  just  what  I  am  afraid  of. 
Don't — don't  go  on  this  expedition. 
You  know  what  the  end  will  be  if  you 
fail—" 

I  thought  again  of  the  picture  in  Har- 
per s  Weekly. 

"  Listen,  Sten,  give  it  up  and  dissuade 
the  King.  You  are  no  soldier, — you  were 
not  bred  to  it — " 

"  I  was    in  the  New  York  Dragoons— 

"  But  you  don't  understand — you  don't 
know  what  these  European  armies  are." 

"  Yes  I  do." 

"  And  you  don't  realize  what  this  Witch 
Sylvia  is  capable  of — " 

"  Was  she  trained  for  a  soldier  ?  I 
think  that  I  may  venture  to  match  my 
wits  against  hers,  Madge." 

"  But  Witch  Sylvia  is  consulted  even 
by  the  Chief  of  the  general  staff." 

"  Bother  Witch  Sylvia  ! "  I  muttered. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    WAY    OF    A    MAID. 

*  I  ""HE  next  day  passed  without  any 
JL  news  from  Caucasia.  I  was  grow- 
ing restless.  Hour  after  hour  I  started 
up,  imagining  that  I  heard  the  sound 
of  hoofs  on  the  high-way,  but  when  I 
hurried  to  the  porch  there  was  nothing 
moving  on  the  white  road,  stretching  to 
the  hill  on  the  northern  horizon.  Babu, 
greatly  depressed  by  a  heroic  dose  of  Is- 
pha  nut,  mooned  about  the  garden,  smok- 
ing strong  cigars  until  I  wished  he  would 
go  away.  The  Duchess  had  a  headache 
and  Madge  Grey  was  watching  the  notch. 
The  King  still  labored  over  his  "  Appeal 
to  the  Powers  "  ;  I  could  hear  him  breath- 
ing hard  behind  his  closed  door.  The 
scratching  of  his  pen  irritated  me. 

About  one  o'clock  his  Grace  of  Babu 
152 


The  Way  of  a  Maid.          153 

went  fishing  in  the  Tschiska.  I  was  glad 
to  get  rid  of  his  depressed  countenance 
and  I  cheerfully  lent  him  a  good  rod  and 
directed  him  to  the  best  water.  Obadiah 
went  with  him  as  instructor  and  gilly, 
promising  to  return  in  time  to  get  dinner. 

When  they  had  gone  I  began  to  wan- 
der about  the  house,  probably  wearing  a 
more  dismal  face  than  poor  Babu's,  and 
at  last  I  went  into  the  kitchen  to  see  how 
Obadiah  had  left  affairs.  The  first  thing 
I  noticed  was  Mops,  sniffing  at  a  plate  of 
preserves  on  the  table.  The  next  thing  I 
saw  was  Lina,  writing  in  a  little  book. 

She  did  not  hear  me, — I  wore  noiseless 
espadrilles, — and  I  came  close  to  her  and 
touched  her  lightly. 

She  turned  like  a  flash. 

"  Why,   Lina  !  "   I   laughed,  "  I   did  n't 
mean  to  startle  you   so.     Forgive  me,— 
really  I  had  no  idea  of  frightening  you." 

As  I  spoke  the  color  slowly  returned  to 
her  face  and  she  smiled  also. 

"  It  was  very  indelicate  of  you,"  she 
said  ;  "  I  might  have  been  writing  a  love 
letter." 


154    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  But  you  were  not." 

"  No,  only  a  receipt  for  kilash.  Are 
you  fond  of  kilash  ?  " 

"  Rather.  I  don't  think  much  of  Ser- 
vian dishes." 

"  Then  I  must  make  you  some  of  my 
kilash.  Oh  you  will  like  it.  Don't  you 
think  you  had  better  release  my  hand  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  beautiful  hand  !  "  I  said.  My 
own  earnestness  amazed  me. 

"  It  is  pretty — for  a  maid." 

"  For  an  Empress,"  I  added  gravely. 

"  And — my  figure  ?  "  she  asked  with  a 
daring  smile. 

"  It  is  marvellous,"  I  said  truthfully  ; 
"your  head  is  perfect  too,  your  ears,  your 
delicious  nose,  your  mouth,  your  eyes, 
your— 

"  Dear  me  !     You  approve  then  ?  " 

"  I  ?  Why  Lina  you  are  the  most  ex- 
quisite creature  I  have  ever  seen  ! " 

I  doubt  if  Lina  was  more  astonished 
than  I  was  at  this  outburst.  It  was  the 
truth  and  it  had  suddenly  flashed  upon  me 
that  she  was  the  rarest  thing  on  earth,  a 
perfectly  beautiful  woman.  Still  I  was 


The  Way  of  a  Maid.          155 

scarcely  prepared  to  tell  her  so.  It  said 
itself  involuntarily, — my  lips  were  but 
mechanical  agents,  my  tongue  wagged 
of  its  own  accord. 

"  Mr.  Steen,"  she  said  at  last,  "  do  you 
think  that  is  the  way  to  speak  to  a  lady's 
maid  ?  " 

"  It  is  the  truth,"  I  muttered. 

"  But  a  gentleman, — a  well-born  man 
cannot  think  seriously  of  a — a — " 

"  What  ?     A  lady's  maid  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  That,"  said  I  sincerely,  "  would  have 
no  weight  with  me,  if  I  loved." 

"  A  servant  ?     You  ?  " 

"If  you  were  that  servant, — and  I  loved 
you,"  I  repeated. 

"  But  you  don't, — you  can't — " 

"  I  don't  know  whether  I  do  or  not,"  I 
said  frankly.  "  When  I  was  not  serious  I 
thought  lightly  of  kissing  you,  but  now, 
upon  my  soul  I  am  thinking  it  is  more 
serious  than  charging  a  battery." 

"  And  you  dare  not, — again  ? 

"  Kiss  you  ?  " 

"Yes." 


156    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

There  was  a  reckless  light  in  her  blue 
eyes,  a  dash  of  carmine  on  either  cheek. 

"  I  dare/'  I  said. 

"  Against  my  will  ?  " 

Before  she  knew  what  I  was  about  I 
had  kissed  her  once,  full  on  the  lips.  It 
was  the  first  time  I  had  kissed  her  lips. 

The  color  flamed  in  her  cheeks  ;  I  was 
not  very  calm  myself.  Unconsciously  we 
stepped  back  and  looked  at  each  other. 

"  Was  it  against  your  will  ?  "  I  asked. 
My  breath  came  rather  fast  and  I  at- 
tempted to  smile  easily. 

"  You  did  not  ask  me,"  she  said  slowly. 

Then  a  strange  terrible  light  flashed  in 
her  eyes,  and  in  a  second  she  had  struck 
me.  Dazed,  doubting  my  senses,  I 
stepped  back,  raising  my  hand  to  my 
stinging  cheek. 

I  don't  know  how  long  we  stood  there, 
staring  into  each  other's  eyes,  but  after 
awhile  I  saw  her  eyes  begin  to  dim  a  little, 
then  droop  to  the  floor. 

"  Pardon,"  she  whispered. 

I  looked  at  her  curiously.  "  I  am  the 
one  to  ask  pardon,"  I  said;  "I  have  my 
deserts." 


The  Way  of  a  Maid.          157 

She  leaned  back,  resting  her  hand  on 
the  table. 

"  Any  man,"  said  I  coldly,  "  who  lays 
himself  open  to  a  rebuke  from  an — -an— 

" — Inferior!"  she  faltered. 

"  Gets  his  just  dues,"  I  ended. 

A  bright  tear-drop  fell  from  between 
her  fingers.  Her  head  sank  lower. 

"  And,"  said  I,  "any  man  who  is  ashamed 
to  do  what  I  do," — here  I  took  her  right 
hand  gently, — "  and  who  would  not  ask 
pardon,  as  I  do—  "  here  I  bent  on  one  knee, 
— "  and  any  man  who  would  not  dare  to 
say,  I  love  you — as  I  now  say  it,  is  no 
man,  be  he  king  or  peasant !  I  love  you, 
Lina.  Will  you  marry  me  ?  " 

Her  left  hand  fell  from  her  wet  eyes. 

"  Yes,"  she  said  in  a  low  earnest  voice, 
"  I  will  marry  you — if  I  ever  marry,  for 
I  love  you." 

She  came  up  to  me  and  deliberately 
kissed  me. 

"  Our  last,  until  we  marry,"  she  said ; 
"  you  will  respect  my  wish.  I  must  go  to 
the  Duchess  ;  are  my  eyes  red  ?  There, 
— yes — but  only  my  hand.  I  will  be  in 
the  lower  garden  to-night  after  the  Duch- 


158    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

ess  retires.  I  wish  to  see  you, — I  love 
you,  do  you  understand  ?  Ah  do  you 
know  what  love  is  to  me — to  me  ?" 

I  trembled  as  I  looked  into  her  glorious 
eyes.  Her  parted  lips  burned  crimson. 

"  No,"  she  said,  shaking  her  head,  "  no 
you  don't  know  yet  what  love  is  to  me. 
You  will  know  some  day.  Take  my  hand. 
Do  you  feel  how  the  palm  burns?" 

She  withdrew  her  hand  and  slipped 
by  me  like  a  shadow,  and  was  gone.  I 
turned  uncertainly  toward  the  door.  As 
I  passed,  Mops  growled.  My  cheek  was 
still  tingling  from  the  blow,  my  heart  was 
on  fire.  Love  is  strange.  I  know  of  but 
one  definition  for  Love  and  that  is,  Love. 
Some  call  it  insanity.  The  synonym  is 
inadequate. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

WHAT   THE  NIGHT    WINDS    WHISPERED. 

WHEN  Lina  left  me  to  find  the 
Duchess,  she  left  a  very  much 
bewildered  young  man.  To  marshall  my 
disordered  thoughts  and  inspect  them  as 
a  drill-sergeant  inspects  his  awkward 
squad,  was  my  intention.  I  tried  hard  ; 
it  was  useless. 

Now  whenever  I  am  troubled  and  per- 
plexed I  go  fishing.  It  is  the  best  way 
to  bring  disorderly  thoughts  under  disci- 
pline. So  I  picked  up  a  rod  and  fly-book, 
slung  a  gun  over  my  shoulder  in  case  a 
thieving  fox  should  court  destruction,  and 
walked  out  into  the  garden. 

It  was  Madge's  watch  and  I  glanced 
up  at  her  window  to  see  if  she  was  on 
duty.  The  end  of  the  battered  brass 
telescope  projected  a  few  inches  beyond 
the  sill. 


160    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Are  you  there,  Madge  ?"  I  called. 

"  Yes."  She  leaned  from  the  window 
and  looked  down  at  me.  "  Everything 
is  quiet  in  the  notch,"  she  said,  "  are  you 
going  to  fish  the  Tschiska  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  '11  be  back  soon.  It 's  time  for 
the  King's  watch.  Will  you  notify  him  ?  " 

She  nodded  brightly  and  I  lifted  my  cap 
and  turned  away  into  the  high-road. 

"  I  no  longer  love  Madge  Grey,"  said  I 
to  myself;  "that  is  certain,  for  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  what  I  Ve  done.  Madge  is  a 
sweet  lovely  girl, — I  do  like  her  im- 
mensely,— I  almost  love  her— 

Here  I  lighted  a  match  on  the  sole  of 
my  shoe  and  applied  it  to  my  pipe. 

"  I  am  cured—"  puff  !  puff  !— "  or  I  don't 
know  what  a—  "  puff — "  a  cure  is.  I  can't 
help  it  if  she  resents  it ;  she  did — "  puff ! 
"did  it  herself.  A  fellow's  love  can't 
flourish  on  snubs." 

Thus  I  walked  on,  avoiding  the  really 
vital  question, — my  sudden  passion  for 
Lina,  and  my  impetuous,  almost  involun- 
tary declaration.  I  say  I  avoided  it,  and 
I  did  until  I  entered  the  forest  by  the  mile 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      161 

post ;  but  here,  in  this  sweet  scented  path 
where  yesterday  I  had  walked  with  Lina 
and — O  delicious  memory  !  I  had  kissed 
her, — here  the  issue  was  not  to  be  avoided. 
I  faced  it  squarely  and  at  the  first  retro- 
spective glance,  I  saw  that  I  was  fully 
committed, — that  I  was  compelled  by 
every  law  of  honour  to  stick  by  my  words 
of  this  afternoon.  At  the  thought  that  I 
was  irrevocably  bound  to  make  good  my 
protestations,  a  delightful  exhilaration 
took  possession  of  me. 

"  She  is  the  loveliest  in  all  the  world  !  " 
I  cried  aloud  again  and  again.  The  grey 
rocks  echoed  my  words,  "  in  all  the  world 
—all  the  world  ! — the  world  ! "  and  the 
dim  forest  trees  murmured  assent. 

A  great  happiness, — not  turbulent,  not 
linked  with  restlessness  or  trepidation, 
stole  over  me, — a  happiness,  peaceful,  sat- 
isfying, serene. 

"  Then  this  is  love,"  I  thought.  "  It 's 
not  like  the  other." 

White  orchids  with  orange  crowns 
nodded  to  me  from  the  undergrowth 
as  I  passed.  I  remembered  the  bou- 


1 62   A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

quet  I  had  slipped  into  her  belt, — the 
same  bouquet  that  I  had  expected  to 
offer  to  Marjory  Grey.  It  troubled  me 
little  as  to  what  Marjory  would  say  when 
the  time  came  to  tell  her.  What  the 
Duchess  or  the  rest  of  the  world  might 
think  I  did  n't  even  trouble  myself  to 
consider. 

"If  Marjory  cares  for  my  friendship  she 
must  accept  Lina  without  reserve,"  I 
thought.  "  If  she  will  not,  I  shall  lose 
a  friend  and  regret  it,  but  I  'd  lose  my 
trust  in  Heaven  before  I  'd  budge  from 
the  woman  I  love  ! " 

I  was  near  the  Tschiska  now  ;  I  heard 
the  ripple  and  rush  of  water  above  the 
sighing  forest  leaves.  In  a  dozen  strides 
I  came  in  sight  of  the  river  bank  and  at  the 
same  moment  I  stopped  short  in  my  tracks. 

A  great  Carpathian  bear  was  seated  on 
its  haunches  in  the  middle  of  the  path. 

The  brute  had  not  heard  me,  for  I  still 
wore  the  soft  espadrilles.  I  cautiously 
stepped  back,  unslung  my  fowling-piece, 
and  sniffed  for  the  wind.  The  wind  was 
right — blowing  from  the  bear  to  me. 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.     163 

"  Confound  the  bear  ! "  said  I  to  myself, 
fingering  my  light  fowling-piece  ruefully, 
"  it  would  be  sheer  madness  to  fire  this 
pop-gun  at  a  brute  like  that ! " 

The  breeze  being  south  the  bear  had 
not  winded  me.  If  it  was  only  a  he-bear 
I  should  n't  have  cared,  for  the  brute 
would  have  made  off  at  the  first  sniff  of 
tainted  air.  Was  this  a  he-bear  ?  I  was 
about  to  take  the  chances  and  shout,— 
first  selecting  a  friendly  tree  of  the  proper 
shape  in  case  of  an  emergency, — I  say 
that  I  was  on  the  point  of  shouting,  when, 
from  the  river  bank  ahead,  came  the  sound 
of  a  human  voice, — a  muffled  yell,  despair- 
ing, terrified,  sad  past  all  belief.  I  knew 
that  voice.  It  was  the  voice  of  Obadiah. 

Again  the  wail  was  repeated,  and  an- 
other voice,  unmistakably  belonging  to 
his  Grace  of  Babu,  answered.  The  bear 
raised  its  head.  Then  it  flashed  upon  me 
what  the  true  state  of  the  case  was.  Very 
gently  I  parted  the  branches,  holding  my 
breath,  and  looked  out.  I  was  right ;  the 
bear  was  a  she-bear,  for  there,  rolling 
about  on  the  moss  below  the  river  bank, 


1 64    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

were  two  cubs ;  and  above,  directly  in 
line  with  the  old  bear's  nose,  perched  high 
among  the  limbs  of  a  great  spruce  tree, 
squatted  his  Grace  of  Babu. 

I  could  not  see  Obadiah  at  first,  but 
after  a  while  I  espied  him  in  the  branches 
of  an  oak ;  and  as  I  caught  sight  of  him 
he  wailed  again,  dismally. 

"  G'wuf  f  m  hyah  ! "  urged  Obadiah, 
rolling  his  eyes  at  the  bear  ;  "  ef  Mars' 
Steen  come  hyah  he  cotch  yo'  sho'  an'  he 
bus*  yo'  cubs  in  de  haid  ! " 

Babu  said  nothing  but  he  looked  exceed- 
ingly unhappy. 

"  Mine  yo'  own  business,"  urged  Oba- 
diah, scowling  at  the  bear  ;  "  mine  yo' 
own  business  an'  g'wuf  f  m  hyah.  Ef  yo' 
doan'  git,  'Diah  gwine  hoodoo  yo'  cubs  wif 
de  rabbit-foot  !  Yas,  ole  'Diah  he  gwine 
work  de  rabbit-foot,—  "  here  Obadiah  pre- 
tended to  feel  in  his  pocket  for  the  alleged 
witch-charm. 

"If  you  don't  keep  quiet,"  said  Babu 
sulkily,  "  the  bear  won't  go,  will  he  ?  " 

"  Yessah  !  "  said  Obadiah.  He  did  n't 
understand  Babu  who  spoke  only  French 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      165 

and  German  beside  his  native  tongue. 
"  Yessah/'  said  Obadiah,  "  I  'se  gwine  work 
de  rabbit-foot  sho'  ef  dat  ole  idgit  doan' 
mosey.  I  'se  gwine  spile  her  cubs, — I  'se 
gwine— 

"Imbecile!"  muttered  Babu,  "  keep 
quiet,  can't  you  !  " 

"  Yessah,"  replied  Obadiah  cheerfully. 
"  Das  what  I  'se  gwine  do,  sah.  Dat  ole 
she-bear  fink  'Diah  aint  got  no  rabbit- 
foot—" 

The  bear  rose  and  shambled  to  the 
foot  of  Obadiah's  tree.  Babu  looked  on 
with  interest.  Slowly  the  shaggy  mus- 
tard coloured  brute  stood  up,  pushed  her 
muzzle  along  the  tree  trunk,  sniffed  and 
wrinkled  her  nose,  and  then  to  my  horror, 
deliberately  began  to  ascend  the  tree. 
Obadiah  fled  howling  to  the  top-most 
branches. 

There  was  only  one  thing  to  do  ;  the 
bear  was  already  in  the  second  crotch  and 
was  mounting  swiftly.  In  an  instant  I 
had  slung  my  gun  across  my  back,  leaped 
out,  jumped  down  the  river  bank,  and 
seized  one  of  the  small  cubs  in  my  arms. 


1 66    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Then  I  shouted  with  all  my  lungs.  Slowly 
the  bear  turned,  saw  me,  saw  the  cub 
wriggling  and  clawing  in  my  arms.  She 
gave  a  roar  which  was  half  growl,  half 
shrill  snuffle,  and  came  tumbling  down 
the  tree,  making  the  twigs  and  bark  fly. 
I  flung  the  cub  into  the  river ;  it  fell  with 
a  mighty  splash  and  began  sprawling  and 
thrashing  toward  the  bank.  Then  I  mo- 
tioned Babu  and  Obadiah  to  get  ready  to 
run  as  soon  as  the  bear  started  after  me, 
and  I  waded  into  the  Tschiska  and  floun- 
dered across. 

As  I  gained  the  opposite  bank  I  heard 
the  bear  plunge  into  the  pool  ;  but  whether 
she  stopped  to  rescue  her  cub  or  whether 
she  started  on  after  me,  I  never  knew,  for 
I  ran  up  the  wood-road  and  took  the  first 
sentier  to  windward,  and  in  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  I  emerged,  panting,  dishevelled 
and  soaked  with  perspiration,  upon  the 
high-road.  Almost  at  the  same  instant, 
Obadiah,  livid  with  terror,  burst  out  of 
the  wood  a  little  farther  down,  followed 
closely  by  the  Duke  of  Babu.  His  Grace 
was  in  a  state  of  collapse  when  I  arrived, 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      167 

and  I  advised  him  to  lie  down  a  bit  in  the 
grass. 

"  As  for  you,  you  leather  headed  jack- 
ass," I  said  to  Obadiah,  "  it 's  a  wonder 
you  were  not  eaten  by  the  she-bear  for 
yelling  like  an  Indian  and  telling  a  lot  of 
lies  about  your  rabbit's-foot.  The  chil- 
dren in  the  Bible  were  swallowed  and 
digested  for  less." 

"Mars'  Steen,"  gasped  Obadiah,  "you 
fink  dat  ole  she-bear  knowed  dat  I  di  'n 
hab  no  rabbit-foot?" 

"  Of  course,"  said  I  severely,  "  and  I 
tell  you  the  bad  little  boys  who  cried  '  go 
up  bald  head!'  were  innocent  alongside 
of  a  bad  darkey  who  tells  lies  and  steals 
strawberries  and  melons." 

This  impressed  Obadiah  so  profoundly 
that  I  was  obliged  to  cheer  him  up  a 
little.  He  tearfully  acknowledged  his 
sins,  blubbered,  moaned,  but  finally  at 
my  command  went  to  a  little  rivulet  which 
trickled  down  the  rocks  beside  the  road, 
and  brought  my  pocket-cup  full  of  water 
for  the  Duke  of  Babu. 

When   his    Grace   had   sufficiently   re- 


1 68    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

vived  to  start  toward  home,  I  began  to 
question  him  about  the  bear.  What  he 
told  me  startled  me  more  than  the  bear 
had.  It  seemed  that  while  he  and  Oba- 
diah  were  fishing  in  the  Tschiska,  they 
heard  a  call  for  help.  Hurrying  in  the 
direction  of  the  sound  they  had  come 
upon  very  much  the  sort  of  scene  that 
I  witnessed, — the  bear  sitting  under  a 
tree,  and  a  man  clinging  to  the  branches 
above.  As  soon  as  the  man  saw  them  he 
cried  out  to  them  in  Russian,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  bear  winded  them  and 
started  in  their  direction.  They  had 
time  to  get  to  the  Tschiska  but  not  to 
cross  it.  Obadiah  unhesitatingly  swarmed 
up  a  tree  and  Babu  followed  his  example, 
just  too  late  for  the  bear  to  nip  his 
heels. 

"  What  became  of  this— this  Russian  ?  " 
I  asked,  as  the  Duke  of  Babu  finished  and 
wiped  his  face. 

"  I  suppose  he  ran,"  replied  his  Grace. 

"Do  you  understand  Russian?"  I  per- 
sisted. 

"  Only  a  few  words.     The  man  cried  ; 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      169 

4  Help !  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Vir- 
gin !  *  I  understood  that." 

"  Don't  you  know  which  way  he  went  ?" 

"No,"  said  Babu  indignantly,  "I 
didn't  wait  to  ask  him.  This  is  a  de- 
lightful country  to  fish  in,  but  I  think  I 
can  manage  to  live  without  any  Tiflix 
valley  fish  after  this.  I  lost  the  rod,  the 
creel,  my  pipe,  and  all  my  Ispha  nut." 

"  I  '11  get  you  all  the  Ispha  nut  you 
want,"  said  I,  "but  this  Russian  bothers 
me  more  than  I  can  tell  you.  He  could  n't 
have  come  through  the  notch  for  there 
was  no  signal  and  Constantine  is  trust- 
worthy. If  he  didn't  come  that  way  he 
must  have  come  from  Caucasia ;  and  now 
I  am  wondering  what  the  devil  a  Russian 
spy  was  doing  in  Caucasia.  If  Russia 
finds  out  that  we  are  mobilizing  in  Ba- 
zoum,  the  game  is  up." 

"  Perhaps  he  '11  be  eaten  by  bears,"  sug- 
gested Babu  hopefully. 

"  We  '11  all  be  swallowed  by  a  bigger 
bear  than  that,"  said  I,  "if  Russia  trees 
us  in  the  Triflix  valley.  What  is  that 
you  hold  in  your  hand?" 


1 7°    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Something  I  picked  up  in  the  path 
before  that  cursed  bear  treed  me.  Do 
you  know  what  it  is  ?  " 

"  Why  yes,"  said  I,  "  it  belongs  to  Lina, 
— to  the  Duchess'  maid.  It  is  that  little 
gold  Sainte-Catharine  that  she  wears 
pinned  at  her  throat." 

"  Oh,"  said  Babu,  "  I  found  it  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Tschiska  ;  I  did  n't  know 
that  the  maid  had  been  there." 

"  The  other  side  ! "  I  asked  astonished. 

"  Yes.  I  thought  the  Russian  might 
have  dropped  it  They  are  common  pins." 

"  Perhaps  he  did  then,"  I  said.  "  It 
looks  to  me  like  that  pin  that  Lina 
wears." 

"  Ask  her,"  suggested  Babu. 

We  were  in  sight  of  the  house  now. 

"Give  me  the  pin,"  said  I,  "and  I  will 
return  it  to  her  if  it  is  hers."  The  Duke 
handed  me  the  pin  in  silence.  In  a  mo- 
ment more  we  were  passing  through  the 
garden  to  the  porch  where  the  King  sat, 
his  eye  glued  to  the  end  of  the  telescope. 

"I  wish,"  said  the  King,  "that  you 
would  look  over  my  '  Appeal  to  the 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.     171 

Powers/  There  is  something  wrong 
about  it  and  I  can't  just  determine  what. 
Ought  I  to  say  anything  about  Corea  ?  " 

"  No  indeed  ! "  I  said  with  emphasis, 
"  let  Corea  alone.  What  has  Boznovia 
to  do  with  the  Chinese  Question  ?  Steer 
clear  of  Turkey  and  China,  your  Majesty, 
and  avoid  any  mention  of  India,  Egypt, 
Hawaii,  Samoa,  and  Cuba.  It  is  the 
Duchess'  watch  I  believe.  Shall  I  notify 
her  Grace?" 

"  I  will  tell  her,"  replied  the  King,  low- 
ering the  telescope  and  handing  it  to 
Babu.  "  Come  and  see  what  I  have 
written,  Mr.  Steen." 

All  that  afternoon  I  worked  on  the 
*  Appeal  to  the  Powers '  while  the  King 
slept  on  the  bed  beside  me.  At  times  I 
would  rise  to  see  whether  the  Duchess 
was  again  slumbering  at  her  post.  There 
she  sat  in  the  garden  below,  waving  a 
palm-leaf  fan  to  keep  the  gnats  away, 
raising  the  telescope  occasionally  with  the 
automatic  regularity  of  a  mechanical  doll. 

The  long  day  was  coming  to  an  end 
before  I  shoved  the  papers  and  ink  bottle 


i72    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

away  from  me  and  rubbed  my  tired  eyes. 
A  moment  later  Obadiah  announced  din- 
ner and  I  awoke  the  King  and  went  out 
into  the  garden  to  relieve  the  Duchess. 

"  If  your  Grace  will  kindly  send  Oba- 
diah to  me  with  a  bottle  of  Rhenish  and 
a  sandwich  I  will  watch  while  the  rest 
dine,"  I  said. 

The  Duchess  fanned  herself  and  exam- 
ined me  with  hard  eyes. 

"  Our  vigilence  must  be  redoubled, 
Madame,"  said  I;  "there  is  a  strange 
man  in  the  Tiflix  valley.  Heaven  knows 
where  he  came  from,  unless  from  Ba- 
zoum  ! — and  I  wish  to  know  whether  he 
leaves  the  notch  to-night,  or  whether  we 
must  stay  indoors  all  day  to-morrow.  His 
Grace  of  Babu  will  tell  the  company  at 
dinner  what  we  have  seen  to-day." 

The  Duchess  was  silent,  but  her  eyes 
were  fixed  on  the  lapel  of  my  jacket  where  I 
had  pinned  the  little  gold  Sainte-Catharine. 

"This  is  part  of  the  story,"  said  I, 
touching  it  with  one  finger. 

"Where  did  you  get  it?"  asked  the 
Duchess  in  her  deep,  ominous  voice. 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      1 73 

I  told  her. 

"  Do  you  recognize  it  ?  "  I  asked. 

Yes,"  snapped  the  Duchess. 

"Then  it  is  your  maid's,"  I  said,  un- 
fastening it  and  handing  it  to  her. 

"  It  is  not  my  maid's,"  replied  the 
Duchess.  There  was  a  note  of  some- 
thing that  resembled  alarm  in  her  voice. 

"  If  you  know  this  jewelled  pin,"  said  I, 
"  will  you  not  tell  me  where  you  have 
seen  it  ?  I  think  anybody  will  recognize 
the  necessity  of  clearing  up  this  affair." 

The  Duchess  took  the  pin  from  my 
out-stretched  hand  and  examined  it  earn- 
estly. There  was  no  mistake  ;  her  Grace 
was  certainly  more  or  less  affected. 

"  This  pin,"  said  the  Duchess,  at  length, 
"is  hollow,  and  it  contains  a  lock  of  hair 
from  the  head  of  Sainte-Catharine  of 
Russia." 

I  looked  at  her  in  amazement. 

"I  ought  to  know,"  she  said  angrily, 
"  I  had  the  pin  made  for  a  minx  who 
pretended  to  be  a  respectable  member  of 
society.  I  gave  it  to  her.  I  have  never 
seen  her  since." 


1 74    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Witch  Sylvia  !  "  I  cried  excitedly,  and 
sprang  from  my  chair.  The  Duchess 
also  rose,  her  stern  face  working  convul- 
sively. 

"  How  dare  you  name  her  in  my  pres- 
ence !  "  she  demanded  ;  "  how  dare  you  ! " 

"  Madame  ! "  I  said,  "  this  is  no  time 
for  petty  jealousy  or  private  enmity.  If 
Witch  Sylvia  has  passed  through  this 
valley  its  for  one  reason,  to  find  out  what 
the  King  is  doing.  And  if  she  has  been 
here, — dare-devil  that  they  say  she  is,  it 
may  be  possible, — it  was  from  Caucasia, — 
from  Bazoum  that  she  came  ! " 

"It  is  impossible  !  "  stammered  the 
Duchess,  "  she  can't  have  so  far  forgot- 
ten herself  as  to  come — spying  here — like 
a  common  soldier  ! " 

"  Then  where  did  that  pin  come 
from  ?  "  I  asked  sternly.  ".  Remember 
what  Witch  Sylvia  did  at  the  Carpathian 
manoeuvres  !  If  she  's  capable  of  putting 
on  a  hussar's  trousers  once,  she'll  wear 
trousers  again  when  she  chooses.  And 
Madame,  I  solemnly  believe  that  if  the 
Princess  Sylvia  should  take  it  into  her 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      1 75 

head  to  come  into  Tiflix  valley,  she 
would  do  it  !  " 

The  Duchess  seemed  dazed.  She 
handed  me  the  pin,  shuddering  as  though 
the  mere  contact  affected  her. 

"  Look  again,  Madame,  do  you  posi- 
tively recognize  this  pin  ?  " 

"  Look  yourself,"  cried  the  Duchess 
furiously,  and  stalked  into  the  house, 
trembling  with  rage  and  fear. 

"The  old  griffin  !  "  I  muttered,  turning 
the  pin  over  and  over  in  my  hand, — "  ha  ! 
by  jingo  !  she  's  right,  for  here 's  the  in- 
scription ;  '  To  Sylvia,  from  her  affection- 
ate Hedwig  von  Schwiggle  ! ' ' 

"  Affectionate  !  "  I  sneered,  —  "  that 
lump  of  stony  malevolence?  How  the 
mischief  did  the  pin  come  here  in  the 
forest  ?  The  Princess  Sylvia  could  n't 
have  been  here, — that  's  all  nonsense. 
Ten  to  one  she  lost  it  and  somebody 
found  it, — possibly  the  latest  owner, — the 
Russian  who  was  treed  by  the  she-bear." 

Night  came  as  I  sat  uneasily  ponder- 
ing. I  had  changed  the  telescope  for  my 
marine  glass  which  could  also  be  made 


i;6    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

into  a  field  glass  or  a  night  binocular  by 
the  mere  turning  of  the  rubber  button. 
Two  red  lanterns  would  be  the  signal  if 
the  strange  man  attempted  to  leave  the 
valley  by  the  notch  ;  one,  if  any  new- 
comer entered. 

I  was  beginning  to  feel  hungry  and  I 
cast  impatient  glances  toward  the  dining- 
room.  It  would  not  have  surprised  me 
if  the  Duchess  had  forgotten  or  deliber- 
ately neglected  to  send  me  my  Rhenish 
and  sandwich.  One  by  one,  through  the 
lighted  windows,  I  saw  the  company  rise 
and  leave  the  table  ;  the  King  first,  deep 
in  conversation  with  Babu,  the  Duchess 
soon  afterward,  leaning  on  Madge  Grey's 
arm.  Then  I  saw  Lina,  giving  some  di- 
rections to  Obadiah,  who  presently  dis- 
appeared, carrying  a  pile  of  plates. 

I  waited  in  silence,  expecting  to  see  him 
come  out  with  my  dinner.  At  last,  dis- 
gusted and  hungry,  I  was  on  the  point  of 
calling  out  to  him,  when  the  door  opened 
and  Lina  appeared  bringing  a  covered 
tray. 

"  I  have  kept  you  waiting,"  she  said  in 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      177 

a  low  mocking  voice,  "  but  I  told  you  that 
I  should  make  you  some  kilash  from  my 
own  receipt  and  I  thought  that  I  might 
not  have  another  chance — very  soon. 
Are  you  angry, — and  hungry  ?  " 

"  Hungry,"  I  said,  dropping  my  voice, 
"but  only  to  see  you  again.  Have  they 
gone  ?  Can  you  stay  ?  " 

"  The  Duchess  is  furious  about  some- 
thing or  other.  She  has  retired  to  her 
room  with  Miss  Grey.  She  insists  upon 
leaving  the  valley  to-morrow,  horses  or  no 
horses." 

"  She  may  insist,"  said  I,  "  as  much  as 
she  pleases,  but  of  course  she  can't  do  it. 
The  Ezrox  station  is  twenty  miles  beyond 
the  notch.  Ah  Lina,  we  shall  not  be 
parted  just  yet, — you  and  I — " 

A  step  on  the  porch  interrupted  me. 

"Mr.  Steen,"  said  the  King,  "my  aunt 
the  Duchess  insists  upon  leaving  to-mor- 
row. Will  it  not  be  dangerous  for  her 
to  travel  publicly  before  we  are  ready  to 
join  the  Caucasian  army  in  Bazoum  ?  " 

"  Certainly  your  Majesty,"  I  said. 

"'It  makes   me   very  nervous,"  sighed 


1 78    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

the  King,  "  I  wish  to  Heaven  that  my 
aunt  would  mind  her  own  business  !  " 

"  Be  comforted,"  said  I,  "  her  Grace 
cannot  leave  the  valley  until  the  horses 
return.  Has  your  Majesty  decided  on 
any  course  of  action  in  regard  to  the  man 
in  the  forest  ?  " 

"  I,"  said  the  King  ;  "  no,  I  'm  worn 
out  with  trouble  and  worry.  I  can't  see 
that  the  Duke  of  Babu  has  any  more 
brains  when  he  's  sober  than  when  he  's 
not.  He  has  gone  to  bed  now ;  he  says 
the  Ispha  nut  makes  him  so  hungry  that 
if  he  did  n't  sleep  he  'd  be  eating  every 
half  hour.  The  Duchess  won't  speak  to 
me  ;  she  's  locked  her  door.  Miss  Grey 
is  with  her.  I  think  I  had  better  retire 
too.  Have  you  had  your  dinner?" 

I  pointed  to  the  tray  which  Lina  had 
set  on  a  table  beside  me. 

"  Kilash  ?"  said  his  Majesty  sniffing  the 
air.  "  I  love  kilash, — but  I  suppose  I  '11 
be  living  on  beef  pellets  before  long. 
Good  night  Mr.  Steen, — send  the  maid 
up — when  you  are  ready." 

"  Good   night   your    Majesty,"  I   said. 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      1 79 

The  King  turned  and,  acknowledging 
Lina's  profound  curtsey,  passed  into  the 
house.  He  wore  the  saddest  face  I  have 
ever  seen. 

"  Poor  tired  unhappy  little  bourgeois," 
I  thought,  "  God  send  you  a  sunny  win- 
dow seat,  and  all  the  kilash  you  can  eat." 

Then  I  turned  to  Lina  and  would  have 
taken  her  in  my  arms  but  she  slipped 
back  with  a  pretty  gesture  and  touched 
one  finger  to  the  covered  tray. 

"  Your  kilash  is  waiting,  Monsieur," 
she  said,  "  is  my  labor  in  vain  ?  See,  I 
burnt  the  tip  of  my  finger  making  for  you 
your  kilash,  No — no — you  must  not ! 
hush  !  they  may  hear  you." 

"  Then  come  out  under  the  trees,"  I 
said,  lifting  the  tray  and  stepping  into 
the  garden. 

"  For  two  minutes  then — only  two 
minutes,"  she  whispered. 

I  set  the  tray  down  on  the  soft  turf 
under  the  trees  in  the  pasture. 

"Will  you  sit  beside  me?"  I  asked. 
"  Here  is  my  jacket, — you  will  not  feel 
the  dew."  She  settled  herself  daintily 


i8o    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

on  the  grass  and  looked  demurely  at  the 
tips  of  her  shoes. 

"  Are  you  not  going  to  begin  ? "  she 
asked.  "  Really  if  I  had  imagined  that 
you  cared  so  little  for  my  kilash— 

"  Nonsense  ! "  I  said,  whisking  off  the 
cover  and  picking  up  a  fork, — "by  jove  ! 
it  is  delicious !  I  '11  take  back  whatever  I 
have  said  about  Servian  dishes.  This  is 
ambrosia  !  Does  the  burnt  finger  hurt, 
Lina !  You  little  angel,  if  you  knew 
how  I  loved  you — " 

"  Of  course,"  she  said  calmly,  "a  man's 
heart  resides  in  his  stomach." 

I  looked  at  her  half  angry,  half  laugh- 
ing. 

"  It  does,"  she  repeated  ;  "  all  men  are 
the  same, — all  men  seek  only  the  grati- 
fication of  their  own  pleasure,  be  that 
pleasure  power,  or  money  or  knowledge 
or  appetite — Ah  !  wait  until  I  have 
finished,  you  silly  man, — I  was  going  to 
say,  "  all  men  are  alike  except — you  ! 
Now  are  you  contented  ?  " 

She  suddenly  leaned  forward  on  the 
grass  and  looked  into  my  face.  Through 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      181 

the  luminous  starlight  her  eyes  glittered 
almost  fiercely. 

"  Are  you  contented  ! "  she  said  again  ; 
lt  I  love  you — I  love  you.  Don't  you 
know  it  ?  Can  you  not  see  it  in  every 
movement,  every  breath  that  I  draw  ? 
Ah  men  !  men  !  how  I  have  hated  them 
and  despised  them ! "  she  murmured 
through  her  little  white  teeth  ;  "  how  well 
I  have  read  them  and  understood  them  ! " 
Then  with  another  swift  change  :  "  Read 
me,  read  me  if  you  can,  O  man  whom  I 
love  !  You  cannot, — see  ! — you  cannot. 
You  are  perplexed,  you  don't  know  what 
to  make  of  me.  But  I  know  you.  Are 
you  contented  ?" 

She  sat  up,  breathless,  smiling  again. 
As  for  me,  she  had  carried  me  away  with 
her.  My  ears  were  echoing  with  the 
fierce  passion  in  her  voice  ;  I  was  com- 
pletely dazed. 

"  You  did  n't  know  what  a  little  cyclone 
you  started  when  you — you  kissed  me 
that  first  day  in  the  garden,"  she  said. 
"  Suppose  I  should  tell  you  that  I,  a  poor 
serving-maid,  had  never  before  been 


1 82    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

kissed.  Would  you  believe  me  ? — hush  ! 
— I  know  you  do.  It  is  true.  Never 
before  has  a  man  presumed, — dared — to 
— to  touch  me  with  the  end  of  his  little 
finger.  I  would  have  suffered  no  man, 
king  or  prince,  to  have  done  what— 
what  you  did  so  easily — ' 

Suddenly  she  buried  her  face  in  both 
hands.  I  thought  she  was  laughing  at 
first. 

"Don't  touch  me!"  she  sobbed, — ah! 
why  don't  I  hate  you  ! — why  don't  I — 
but  I  can't,  I  love  you  so  much — so 
much  ! " 

She  would  not  suffer  me  to  approach, 
much  less  to  caress  her.  She  sat  there 
in  the  star-light,  touching  her  eyes  with 
her  handkerchief  and  looking  at  the 
ground,  until  it  was  more  than  I  could 
endure. 

"  I  don't  understand  you,  Lina,"  I  said, 
"but  I  understand  that  when  you  are 
unhappy  it  breaks  my  heart.  I  will  not 
say  that  I  would  die  for  you, — anybody, 
I  fancy,  would  do  that, — but  I  will  say 
that  if  I  live  to  come  out  of  the  Bozno- 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.     183 

vian  scrape,  no  woman  in  the  world  will 
have  a  husband  who  would  live  for  her 
as  I  will  live  for  you.  It  is  easy  to  die 
for  a  woman  you  love  ;  it  is  easier  to  die 
for  a  woman  who  does  not  love  in  return  ; 
but,  if  it  were  your  pleasure,  I  would  live 
forever  in  hell's  torment  to  give  you  one 
moment's  happiness." 

When  I  delivered  myself  of  this  speech 
it  did  not  seem  silly  or  exaggerated.  One 
can  never  tell  what  the  most  prosaic 
young  man  will  say  at  times. 

The  effect  however  on  Lina  was  curious. 
She  sat  up  among  the  flowers,  her  slender 
body  held  very  straight,  her  hands  resting 
tightly  against  her  breast.  Something  in 
her  attitude  made  me  think  of  arms  and 
armour, — I  don't  know  why,  but  I  do 
know  that  she  looked  like  a  little  princess 
receiving  the  homage  due  her,  and  I  was 
proud  and  glad  for  her  sake. 

After  a  minute  or  two  a  change  came 
over  her  ;  she  smiled  and  touched  the  lace 
on  her  apron. 

"  Your  devotion  is  worthy  of  a  maiden 
more  nobly  born,"  she  said,  with  that  al- 


1 84    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

most  indefinable  tinge  of  irony  in  her 
voice.  "  I  doubt  if  a  serving-maid  has 
ever  before  received  such  a  splendid  devo- 
tion as  yours." 

"  I  don't  care  what  you  are,"  I  said. 
"  If  you  are  not  noble,  then  it 's  the  loss 
of  the  nobility.  It 's  all  nonsense  to  tell 
me  that  you  have  always  been  a  lady's 
maid.  I  am  not  the  sort  of  man  that  is 
attracted  by  inferiors." 

"  Shall  I  tell  you  who  I  am  ?  "  she  asked 
suddenly. 

"  Is  it  not  time  ?"   I  replied. 

"Yes  —  no  —  yes  —  y-es.  I  am  the 
orphan  of  well  educated  parents.  I  was 
well  educated  myself, — well  enough,  any- 
way to  be  chosen  as  companion  to  the 
Princess  Sylvia  of  Marmora— 

"  Witch  Sylvia  !  "  I  exclaimed  astound- 
ed. 

"  Yes.  I  read  her  books,  I  taught  her 
to  draw  and  paint,  I  tried  to  aid  her  to 
study.  We  tired  of  each  other, — she  grew 
weary  of  me,  and  I,  at  times,  almost  hated 
her.  She  was  boisterous  and  feather- 
brained, she  was  shockingly  unconven- 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      185 

tional.  She  did  silly  daring  things  that 
brought  her  into  contempt  and  ridicule. 
I  sometimes  pitied  her,  —  she  had  no 
parents, — but  I  grew  to  loathe  the  very 
sight  of  her  face.  I  fear  her  too, — even 
now." 

"  You  ?  Why,  Lina.  You  are  with  the 
Duchess,  and  the  Duchess  will  be  safe  in 
schloss  Lauterschnapps  very  soon." 

"That  would  not  keep  Witch  Sylvia 
from  troubling  me.  She  used  to  torment 
me, — she  bored  me  sometimes,  and  some- 
times made  me  furious.  The  mere  sight 
of  her  disgusted  me  —  ah, — you  don't 
know  what  I  Ve  suffered  from  that  wo- 
man ! " 

"  You  never  will  again  if  I  come  out 
of  this  all  right,"  I  said  impetuously.  "  I 
know  what  it  must  have  been  for  a  high- 
minded,  sensitive  woman  like  you  to  have 
been  at  the  beck  and  call  of  an  insolent, 
shallow,  capricious,  vixen  like  Witch  Syl- 
via. Don't  cry — Lina — why !  hello  !  what 's 
the  matter  ?  " 

She  had  sprung  to  her  feet  and  stood 
silent,  rigid,  staring  at  me.  I  also  rose 


1 86    A  King  and  a  Few  DuRes. 

hastily  and  went  toward  her.  As  I  ap- 
proached she  stepped  back,  then  chang- 
ing again  swiftly  she  began  to  laugh, 
pressing  one  slender  hand  to  her  bosom. 

"  Do  you  know  what  you  say?"  she 
said,  dropping  again  on  the  grass.  "  Do 
you  not  know  that  nothing  on  earth  could 
protect  me  from  Witch  Sylvia — insolent, 
shallow,  capricious,  as  you  say  she  is, — if 
she  chose  to  do  me  injury  ?  " 

"  We  '11  see  ! "  I  said,  tightening  my 
lips ;  "  this  is  the  second  time  that  I  have 
heard  how  very  terrible  this  Princess 
could  be.  I  believe  her  own  brother  is 
afraid  of  her.  I  fancy  however  that  when 
we  enter  Belgarde,  the  Princess  Sylvia 
will  not  be  visible.  I  wish,  Lina,  you 
would  n't  laugh  and  cry  and  do  such  abrupt 
things.  I  never  can  tell  whether  you  are 
laughing  or  angry  or  what  the  mischief  is 
the  matter.  If  you  are  afraid  of  Witch 
Sylvia  you  need  not  be.  Are  you  ?  " 

"As  I  believe  in  the  Sainted  Virgin," 
said  Lina  slowly  and  earnestly,  "  I  am 
afraid  of  this  woman  !  And  I  know  that 
you — I  know  that  nobody  in  the  whole 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      187 

world  can  keep  her  from  harming  me — if 
she  wills  to  do  it." 

"  Then  let  her  beware  ! "  said  I  pas- 
sionately, "  for  I  swear  that  if  she  does 
you  injury  she  shall  answer  for  it  before 
all  Europe." 

"  She  shall  answer  for  it  to  me,"  said 
Lina  in  a  strange  voice,  "  for  now  you 
have  taught  me  not  to  fear  her.  I  have 
loved  her, — I  have  hated  her,  but  I  never 
shall  fear  her  again.  I  said  you  were  not 
to  kiss  me  until  we  were  married.  I  am 
mistress  of  myself  and  I  choose  to  change 
my  mind  ; — kiss  me — and  help  me !  " 

In  that  swift  caress  I  lost  what  senses 
I  possessed.  I  held  her  in  my  arms, — 
she  was  so  helpless  and  winning,  so  de- 
pendent, so  child-like — and  then,  changing 
in  a  flash,  she  was  a  woman,  passionate, 
proud  of  her  love  and  her  passion  which 
seemed  so  new  to  her.  Charming  in  her 
timidity,  adorable  in  her  innocent  courage, 
human  all  through,  she  enchanted  me, 
thrilled  me,  until  the  great  wonder  of  it 
all  overwhelmed  me,  and  I  trembled,  faint 
with  happiness  too  keen  to  bear. 


1 88    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

At  last  she  released  my  arm  about  her, 
and  slipping  her  hand  into  mine,  whis- 
pered that  she  must  go. 

4 'So  soon?"  I  faltered. 

"  Yes.  Listen,  I  came  here  to  beg  you 
not  to  go  with  the  King  to  conquer  Boz- 
novia.  I  have  listened  to  all  you  have 
said, — I  have  listened  to  the  King  and  to 
the  rest.  Believe  me  it  cannot  be  done. 
Do  you  think  that  the  spies  have  been 
idle?  Do  you  imagine  that  all  is  not 
already  known  in  Belgarde  and  in  St. 
Petersburgh  ?  What  chance  has  a  stupid 
King  like  this  one  against  Witch  Sylvia 
who  is  determined  that  her  brother  shall 
keep  his  throne  ?  Believe  me,  she  has 
not  been  idle.  You  may  fill  the  pass 
with  men  and  cannon  instead  of  with 
silken  cords,  and  that  would  not  keep  her 
spies  away.  I  know  this  woman  ;  you  do 
not.  I  know  that  you  will  fail — and  yet — 
and  yet  I  do  not  now  ask  you  to  turn  back." 

"  I  could  not,"  I  said  gravely. 

"  That  is  why  I  do  not  ask  it.  You 
could  not  turn  back  honourably.  But  there 
is  one  thing  I  beg  you  to  do.  When  the 


What  the  Winds  Whispered.      189 

time  comes  and  you  march  to  Belgarde, 
I  shall  be  working  to  help  you, — to  save 
you.  I  can  do  more  than  you  think  I 
can.  And  this  is  what  I  ask  ;  believe  in 
me — in  my  love  for  you.  No  matter 
what  you  hear,  no  matter  what  you  see, 
believe  that  I  shall  be  secretly  working 
for  you.  I  shall  leave  the  service  of  the 
Duchess  the  moment  we  arrive  at  the 
castle  and  I  will  help  you, — don't  laugh, 
my  darling — I  mean  what  I  say." 

"  But — how  can  you,  Lina  ?  " 

"  First  by  telling  you  to  use  your  night- 
glass  at  once,"  she  said  gravely. 

"  My — my  night-glass  !  "  I  stammered. 
I  had  completely  forgotten  the  notch. 

I  raised  the  glasses  nervously  and  then 
stood  rigid. 

A  red  star  hung  just  above  the  scarred 
flank  of  the  Osman  Peak,  twinkling,  glim- 
mering like  a  lamp — ! — star  ? — 

"  It  's  the  lantern,"  I  whispered. 

"  Look,"said  the  girl — "  how  many  ?" 

"  One — one — no  !  there  comes  another ! 
There  are  two  !  Lina,  the  strange  man 
has  gone  out  of  the  Tiflix  valley  ! " 


1 90    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

She  came  close  to  me  and  looked  up 
into  my  startled  eyes. 

"  You  were  never  made  for  intrigue  and 
violence,"  she  said  gently  ;  "  you  are  not 
even  a  good  soldier.  Sentinels  keep 
watch,  my  darling,  and  of  all  places  in 
the  world  the  Balkans  need  watching. 
Listen  again.  I  shall  help  you,  for  you 
need  it.  I  shall  enter  Belgarde, — I  shall 
enter  the  service  of  Witch  Sylvia  again. 
She  would  willingly  take  me  back,  al- 
though she  will  certainly  misuse  me  if  I 
allow  it.  But  what  do  I  care.  I  will  keep 
you  informed  every  day, — every  hour  if 
necessary.  I  will  send  you  news  by  spies 
and  messengers  ;  I  will  warn  you  what 
roads  to  take  and  what  to  avoid.  It  is 
for  your  sake  I  do  this.  What  do  I  care 
for  this  stupid  King?  It  is  only  for  you 
—my  darling — only  for  your  safety.  For 
on  your  safety  depends  my  happiness,— 
nay,  my  very  life.  Good  night." 


CHAPTER    XII. 


"  SALUTE    TO    THE    KING." 


TWO  weeks  had  passed  but  no  sign  or 
message  came  from  either  the  Duke 
of  Taxil  in  Paris  or  from  General  Bomb- 
witz  in  Bazoum. 

The  Duchess  endured  her  captivity  sul- 
lenly ;  the  King,  worn  with  anxiety  and 
the  composition  of  proclamations,  still 
bore  up  cheerfully.  Every  day  the  Duch- 
ess and  Madge  Grey  walked  in  the  woods 
with  Mops  ;  his  Grace  of  Babu,  now  re- 
conciled to  temperance  and  the  Ispha  nut, 
usually  accompanied  them.  Whether  the 
shock  of  his  conversion  had  affected  his 
scanty  intelligence  or  whether  the  Ispha 
nut  was  responsible,  I  do  not  know,  but 
his  Grace  of  Babu  suddenly  developed  a 
mania  for  writing  verses.  These  verses 
he  read  aloud  to  us  at  breakfast.  It  was 
very  depressing. 


i92    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Obadiah  also  appeared  to  be  unhappy. 
I  sometimes  imagined  that  the  story  of  the 
Scripture  bears  bothered  him  for  he  left  th& 
strawberry  vines  untouched  and  never  went 
out  alone  after  dusk.  It  was  just  as  well. 

Lina, — bless  her  little  heart ! — was  the 
only  one  of  us  all  who  remained  cheerful. 

I  often  managed  to  see  her  alone.  In 
this  the  Duchess  unwittingly  aided  me  ; 
for  she  had  conceived  an  aversion  to 
Lina,  Heaven  alone  knows  why  ! — and 
she  never  took  her  on  her  woodland 
prowls.  She  took  Mops  however  for 
which  I  trust  I  was  sufficiently  grateful.  I 
had  given  the  little  pin,  the  gold  Sainte- 
Catharine,  to  Lina,  who  promptly  identi- 
fied it  as  a  gift  to  herself  from  the  Prin- 
cess Sylvia  of  Marmora.  She  showed  me 
the  holy  relic  which  it  contained,  the  lock 
of  hair  from  the  head  of  Sainte-Catharine 
of  Russia.  I  asked  her  if  she  was  not 
sceptical,  considering  the  fact  that  the 
holy  Sainte-Catharine  had  reddish  gold 
hair  and  this  lock  of  hair  was  black.  She 
said  it  made  no  difference  in  the  value  of 
the  relic  to  her.  I  quoted  the  case  of  the 


"  Salute  to  the  King."         193 

leopard  and  his  spots,  but  she  replied  that 
hair  and  leopard  spots  could  be  changed 
when  necessary.  I  respect  a  faith  like 
that. 

In  our  stolen  interviews  she  told  me  a 
great  deal  about  her  past  life ; — how  it 
was  she  came  to  depend  upon  herself  for 
her  amusements,  how  she  had  patiently 
attempted  to  teach  and  amuse  the  Princess 
Sylvia,  how  they  quarrelled  with  each  other 
and  then  repented,  only  to  quarrel  again 
and  again  repent. 

I  learned  a  great  deal  about  the  blue- 
eyed,  black-haired  madcap,  known  all 
over  Europe  as  Witch  Sylvia.  Lina  told 
me  everything  she  knew  and  that  was 
enough  to  give  me  an  unpleasant  idea  of 
this  selfish,  capricious,  beautiful  dare- 
devil. 

"  If  you  see  her  you  will  surely  fall  in 
love  with  her,  and  then  what  shall  I  do  ?  " 
said  Lina  one  still  evening  while  I  kept 
my  watch  in  the  meadow. 

"Do  you  think,"  said  I  scornfully, 
"  that  such  a  woman  could  interest  me  ?" 

"  She  is  very  charming,"  sighed  Lina, 


194   A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  she  has  wonderful  soft  silky  black  hair 
and—" 

"I  prefer  golden  hair,"  said  I,  glancing 
at  her  own. 

"  But  black  hair  and  blue  eyes  are  a 
very  beautiful  combination ;  don't  you 
think  so  ?  " 

"No  I  don't,"  I  replied,  "especially 
when  in  conjunction  with  an  empty  selfish 
head." 

"Ah,"  said  Lina  sadly;  "I  have  seen 
Witch  Sylvia  ;  have  you  ?  I  have  known 
her  ;  have  you  ?  No  man  who  ever  saw 
her  came  away  heart-whole  and  fancy-free. 
You  cannot  understand  because  you  think 
that  I,  with  my  blond  hair  and  blue  eyes, 
am  beautiful — " 

"  Think !  Anybody  that  denies  that 
you  are  the  most  beautiful  woman  in  the 
world  is  either  wicked  or  crazy  !  " 

She  laughed,  and  blushed  a  little  too. 

"  I  shall  never  be  sure  that  I  have  you 
until  you  have  seen  Witch  Sylvia, — until 
you  have  been  tried  and  proven,"  she  said. 

"  I  trust  that  I  shall  see  her,"  I  replied 
grimly. 


"  Salute  to  the  King."        195 

"You  will  if  you  go  to  Belgarde." 

"If  I  go?  I  will  go!"  I  said  care- 
lessly. My  carelessness  did  not  deceive 
Lina. 

"  You  are  worried,"  she  said,  touching 
my  hand  caressingly.  "  Oh,  I  do  wish 
that  your  messenger  would  come.  This 
strain  is  telling  on  me  too,"  she  added 
with  a  little  sigh  that  went  to  my  heart. 

11  They  will  come,"  I  said  trying  to 
speak  bravely,  "who  knows  but  to-night, 
—to-morrow,  next  day  at  latest,  we  shall 
hear  good  news  ?  " 

"  Who  knows  ?  "  she  repeated. 

And  so  the  evening  wore  away  until 
Lina  crept  into  the  house  to  sleep  a  little, 
and  I  was  left  alone  in  the  dusky  meadow 
with  the  stars  overhead  and  the  million 
voices  of  the  crickets  ringing  in  my  ears. 

Along  the  edge  of  the  dim  glassy 
meadow-pond,  the  water-fowl  were  sitting 
huddled  in  rows,  or  standing  motionless, 
head  buried,  one  foot  lost  in  the  down 
of  the  breast.  Myriads  of  daisies,  pale, 
snow  flecks  in  the  star-light,  swayed  with 
every  sudden  zephyr.  Faint  spicy  odors 


i96    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

came  to  me  across  the  meadow  from  my 
garden,  where  roses  and  lilies  nestled  be- 
neath their  cloud  of  incense,  where  lilacs 
dripped  with  scented  dew,  and  every  lit- 
tle blossom  poured  out  perfume  to  the 
high  clustered  stars. 

And  as  I  sat  there,  silent,  wistful, 
dreaming  such  dreams  as  lovers  know, 
far  on  the  rim  of  the  horizon  a  pale  light 
flashed  and  the  sudden  night  winds  bore 
to  me  a  sound,  a  murmur,  indistinct,  un- 
certain, vague  as  the  whisper  of  the  wind 
itself. 

Motionless,  breathless,  I  sat,  my  night- 
glass  levelled  on  the  horizon.  Again 
from  the  darkness  a  pale  flare  lighted  the 
clouds.  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  pausing  a 
moment  to  listen  ;  and  again  came  the 
distant  rumor,  swelling  as  the  zephyrs 
freshened,  dying  as  they  died. 

In  an  instant  I  had  crossed  the  road 
and  entered  the  house.  I  sped  through 
the  dark  hall-ways,  rapping  sharply  at 
each  door  as  I  passed  until  I  came  to  the 
King's  chamber. 

Here  I   knocked  and  entered  without 


"  Salute  to  the  King."        197 

ceremony,  for  the  upper  balcony  lay  under 
his  window. 

"  Rise,  your  Majesty,"  I  whispered, 
"  there  is  something  coming  from  the 
south, — wait, — you  can  see  the  light  in 
the  sky  from  the  window  ! " 

The  King,  only  half  awake,  stumbled 
into  his  clothes  and  followed  me  out  onto 
the  balcony  ;  and  at  the  same  moment, 
the  Duchess  appeared  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  balcony,  swathed  in  a  hideous  tea- 
gown,  a  bed-quilt  about  her  shoulders,  a 
night-bonnet  tied  under  her  triple  chin. 
One  by  one  the  others  crept  out,  silent, 
shivering ;  Madge  Grey,  pale  and  quiet, 
Babu,  round-eyed,  stupid,  munching  an 
Ispha  nut,  Obadiah,  Mops,  and  then,  at 
last,  came  Lina,  and  her  beautiful  eyes  met 
mine  in  the  star-light  and  I  saw  her  smile. 

"  What  can  it  be  ! "  said  the  King  again 
and  again,  "  I  cannot  understand  those 
flashes  of  light.  Can  you,  Mr.  Steen  ?  " 

I  shook  my  head  nervously. 

"  Pardon, — if  Majesty  permits,  I  think 
I  know,"  said  Lina,  and  came  forward, 
smiling  and  timid. 


i98    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  What  do  you  know  ?  "  boomed  the 
Duchess  contemptuously. 

"  Speak,"  said  the  King  with  an  angry 
gesture  toward  the  Duchess. 

"  It  means, — this  white  light  on  the  hori- 
zon,— that  there  is  an  army  encamped  there 
and  that  it  is  signalling  to  another  army." 

"  Search  lights  !"  exclaimed  the  King. 
"  It  must  be  that.  I  have  never  noticed 
them  ; — I  don't  think  my  army  had  any— 

"Your  army!"  sneered  the  Duchess; 
but  she  was  very  pale  and  her  false  teeth 
rattled  in  spite  of  her. 

"  My  army  was  not  supplied  with  any- 
thing modern,  and  the  fault  was  mine," 
said  the  King  mildly.  "  Lina,  my  child, 
—your  name  is  Lina  ? — yes  ? — can  you  tell 
us  anything  more  about  these  flashes  ?  " 

"They  are  Morse  signals,"  said  Lina 
demurely ;  "I  studied  telegraphy  from 
necessity,"  she  added  with  a  smile. 

"  Can  you  read  them  then  ?  "  I  asked 
in  some  excitement. 

"  I  will  try — if  Majesty  permits — 

"  Read — read,  my  child  !  "  exclaimed 
the  King — "  look  !  don't  lose  anything." 


4 'Salute  to  the  King."         199 

We  stood  breathless  around  her  as  she 
took  my  night-glasses  and  raised  them. 
After  a  while  she  began  to  speak  : 

"  Here  is  the  first  message  at  his  Ma- 
jesty's service ;  '  Push  forward  cavalry 
column  to  Ezrox  Station.  Seize  railroad 
and  material.  Cut  all  wires  toward  Bel- 
garde  and  the  East.'  Wait !  now  they 
are  repeating  the  message  ;  now  it  has 
been  understood,  and  they  resume — re- 
sume— ah  :  '  Throw  First  and  Second 
Divisions  of  Tenth  Corps  into  the  Caspian 
Pass.  Hold  the  Tiflix  valley  notch  with 
Clisson's  Hussar  Guards '- 

"  Clisson  !  Hurrah  !  "  I  shouted,  "  it  's 
my  regiment  and  the  Caucasian  army  is 
here!" 

How  we  cheered  and  shook  hands,— 
and  wept  a  little  too,  for,  until  now,  we 
had  scarcely  realized  the  strain  we  had 
been  under.  Even  Babu's  face  lighted 
up  with  something  akin  to  intelligence, 
and  he  munched  joyously  on  his  Ispha 
nut,  while  the  poor  King,  weak  with 
emotion,  pressed  my  hand  again  and 
again  and  leaned  upon  the  balcony  railing, 


200    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

tears  of  relief  streaming  down  his  worn 
face.  Madge  Grey  and  Lina,  arm  in  arm, 
—for  Madge  seemed  to  forget  the  differ- 
ence for  a  moment,  bent  over  the  King 
saying  gentle,  timid  things  to  cheer  him 
up.  Obadiah  seized  Mops  and  dandled 
him  and  tossed  him  in  an  ecstasy  of  loyal 
fervor,  neither  heeding  the  snaps  and 
shrieks  of  the  cur  nor  the  anathemas  of 
the  Duchess,  until  the  one  bit  him  and 
the  other  whacked  him.  Then  he  fled  to 
the  kitchen,  from  whence  his  mellow  voice 
rose  in  songs  of  praise.  The  Duchess 
alone  of  all  the  company  remained  stolid 
and  insensible,  her  stony  face  turned 
toward  the  King.  But  all  the  same  I 
could  see  that  it  was  only  her  fat-headed 
brutish  malevolence,  that  prevented  her 
from  expressing  the  relief  and  satisfaction 
that  she  felt. 

At  an  order  from  me,  Obadiah  reap- 
peared with  refreshments  and  we  all  nib- 
bled on  lettuce  sandwiches  and  cold 
chicken,  while  I  kept  the  glasses  levelled 
on  the  flashes,  and  Lina,  standing  close 
to  my  shoulder,  read  them  for  us  all. 


"  Salute  to  the  King."        201 

Somewhere  behind  the  Caspian  range, 
a  great  army  was  moving  in  two  divisions, 
and  it  was  moving  northward  toward  Bel- 
garde.  Some  of  the  messages  we  under- 
stood, some  we  did  not,  for  the  King 
was  woefully  deficient  in  military  knowl- 
edge, and,  as  for  me,  I  began  to  realize 
my  appalling  ignorance  now  that  the  hour 
had  struck. 

After  a  while  the  Duchess  retired, 
sullenly  demanding  Lina's  aid,  for  she 
announced,  that,  as  the  army  had  come, 
she  could  secure  horses  to  get  back  to 
castle  Lauterschnapps.  So  Lina  went 
away  to  pack  the  shapeless  wardrobe  of 
her  Grace,  and  Babu  fell  asleep  with  his 
mouth  open,  and  Madge,  the  King,  and 
I  were  left  to  watch  the  stars  flicker  out 
in  the  heavens,  and  the  mist  and  smoke 
that  hung  over  the  invisible  army  grow 
greyer  and  pinker  as  the  east  flushed  with 
the  coming  dawn. 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, I  believe,  when  Madge  touched  my 
arm  and  pointed  to  a  dark  spot  on  the 
hill  where  the  high-road  disappears  against 


202    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

the  sky.  Nearer  and  nearer  it  came,  and 
now  we  could  see  that  it  was  a  body  of 
horsemen,  galloping  swiftly,  —  hundreds 
of  them, — a  full  regiment  of  cavalry. 
The  white  dust  hung  above  them,  behind 
them,  and  drifted  away  along  either  flank, 
as  they  galloped  nearer  and  ever  nearer. 
Now  we  could  see  their  horses'  heads 
tossing  and  jerking,  now  we  could  see  the 
scarlet  jackets  of  the  riders,  flashes  of  bit 
and  spur  and  scabbard,  while  the  dull 
shock  of  iron-shod  hoofs  grew,  increasing 
like  advancing  surf,  until  the  road  below 
us  shook  with  the  coming  host  and  the 
hills  rang  back  the  clash  of  steel.  Right 
past  the  house  they  thundered,  shrouded 
in  clouds  of  dust ;  then  the  shrill  trumpet 
notes  pierced  the  air,  the  long  column 
wheeled,  wavered,  backed,  and  halted, 
facing  the  house.  A  heavy  voice  broke 
into  the  sudden  calm  ;  other  voices  echoed 
the  command  from  end  to  end  of  the 
restless  line.  Swish  !  swish  !  swis — sh  ! 
A  thousand  sabres  swept  from  their  scab- 
bards of  steel,  a  thousand  red  sleeves  shot 
into  the  air,  a  thousand  voices  crashed  out : 


"  Salute  to  the  King/'        203 

"Health  to  the  King!" 

The  pale  colour  in  the  King's  face  deep- 
ened. He  took  one  unsteady  step  for- 
ward. 

"  Go  down,"  I  whispered. 

Stumbling,  uncertain,  his  Majesty  de- 
scended the  outer  steps,  and  I  saw  his 
hands  trembling  along  the  balustrade. 

Two  officers  hurried  forward  saluting. 
One  was  the  Duke  of  Taxil,  the  other 
was  Clisson.  The  King  held  out  his 
hand,  then  both  arms.  Taxil  flopped  into 
them. 

When  Clisson  caught  sight  of  me  he 
pulled  his  grey  moustache  and  winked. 
I  went  down  to  him  and  fell  upon  his 
neck.  This  manoeuvre  gave  me  an  op- 
portunity to  whisper  : 

"  Clisson  for  Heaven's  sake  run  this 
regiment  for  me  until  I  can  learn  how  to 
handle  it.  You  are  lieutenant-colonel 
from  this  moment.  Conceal  the  igno- 
rance of  your  colonel  from  the  men  and 
I  '11  make  you  anything  you  wish  when  we 
get  to  Belgarde." 

They  had  brought  me  my  colonel's  uni- 


204    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

form  and  equipment  and  I  sent  a  trooper 
with  it  to  my  room. 

"  There  is  no  time  to  waste  I  know," 
said  I,  shaking  hands  with  Taxil  and 
Bombwitz,  "we  read  your  signals  last 
night  and  we  know  you  are  bound  for  the 
Tiflix  notch  and  the  station  at  Ezrox." 

Clisson  stared  at  this  display  of  mili- 
tary acumen.  It  pleased  me. 

I  called  Obadiah,  gave  him  some  whis- 
pered orders,  and  hastened  to  my  room. 
Here  I  put  on  the  scarlet  astrakan  edged 
dolman,  the  black,  scarlet-striped  riding 
breeches,  the  spurred  boots,  and  the  hus- 
sars busby.  In  a  few  moments  my  sabre 
was  snapped  to  the  clasp,  my  revolver 
and  binocular  slung  from  shoulder  to  hip, 
and  my  steel  chin-chain  tightened. 

The  Duchess  sneered  a  little  as  I  went 
to  her  to  make  my  adieus,  but  Madge 
Grey  gave  me  both  her  hands  and  said 
some  very  sweet  things. 

"  We  leave  under  escort  in  half  an 
hour.  We  have  decided  to  go  by  way  of 
Bazoum,"  she  said.  "  Shall  we  meet  in 
Belgarde?" 


"  Salute  to  the  King."        205 

"Yes,"  I  said. 

Then  we  bade  each  other  farewell,  very 
quietly  and  simply. 

In  the  library  I  found  Lina  alone.  She 
was  a  trifle  pale  when  I  took  her  into  my 
arms. 

"  Remember,"  she  said,  "  I  will  help 
you  and  save  you.  Heed  every  messen- 
ger, every  message  I  send  you." 

"  I  will,"  I  said  passionately. 

"  Then  Heaven  keep  you,"  she  said 
firmly  ;  "  I  cannot  live  if  you  are  killed." 

"  I  won't  be  killed,"  I  muttered. 

"  You  shall  not  be,"  she  cried. 

"In  Belgarde,  then,"  I  groaned,  crush- 
ing her  to  me. 

"  In  Belgarde,"  she  repeated. 

She  pinned  the  gold  Sainte-Catharine 
to  my  dolman.  A  tear  fell  from  her 
lashes  onto  my  hand. 

"  Beware  Witch  Sylvia,"  she  murmured, 
trying  to  smile. 

I  touched  her  hand  with  my  lips,  and 
at  the  same  moment  the  Duchess  waddled 
into  the  room. 

For  a  moment  we  looked  at  her  amazed 


2o6    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

face,  then  I  bent  again  and  kissed  Lina's 
beautiful  fingers. 

"  You  will  leave  my  service  as  soon 
as  we  reach  schloss  Lauterschnapps  ! " 
shouted  the  Duchess.  "  Do  you  under- 
stand!" 

I  kissed  Lina  again,  on  the  lips. 

"  My  darling/*  I  said,  "  I  have  ordered 
an  ein-spanner  and  an  escort.  Obadiah 
shall  accompany  you  and  Constantine 
shall  drive  you  to  Zitlis.  There  you  are 
to  take  Obadiah  and  the  train  and  go  to 
Belgarde  by  way  of  Bazoum.  Your  little 
valise  is  already  in  the  ein-spanner.  Con- 
stantine gives  you  his  daughter  as  maid— 

"  That  's  my  maid  ! "  cried  the  Duchess 
furiously.  "  How  dare  you  !—  I  drew 
Lina's  arm  through  mine. 

"  Come,"  I  said,  "this  old  lady  is  losing 
her  temper."  And  I  led  her  out  through 
the  garden  to  the  barn  where  Obadiah 
and  Constantine  stood,  holding  the  horse. 
Zilka,  Constantine's  red  cheeked  daughter 
sat  on  the  trunk  behind. 

"  Constantine,"  said  I,  "  I  have  already 
told  you  that  I  am  entrusting  my  fiancee 


"Salute  to  the  King/'        207 

to  your  care.  Obadiah,  every  kink  on 
your  head  will  answer  for  this  lady's 
safety.  Zilka,  my  child,  be  faithful."  Then 
I  aided  Lina  to  mount  the  vehicle. 

"  Keep  Obadiah,"  said  I,  "  until  I  come 
to  claim  you  in  Belgarde.  Here  is  what 
you  will  need  for  your  journey.  It  is  in 
gold."  She  looked  at  the  money  in  a 
startled  way.  Tears  filled  her  eyes  and 
she  leaned  out  and  flung  both  arms 
around  my  neck. 

In  another  moment  I  had  motioned  to 
Constantine,  the  vehicle  whirled  away,  and 
five  troopers  from  the  stables  mounted  and 
clattered  after  it. 

After  a  while  I  turned  from  the  distant 
dust  cloud  and  went  through  the  garden 
to  the  pheasantry.  Here  Georgiades 
joined  me  and  I  gave  him  the  keys  of  the 
house  and  stables. 

"  Keep  the  place  in  order ;  feed  the 
creatures  and  use  the  garden  as  your  own. 
If  the  Servian  Government  confiscates 
the  place  as  it  will  if  it  learns  that  I  am 
mixed  up  in  this  affair,  here  is  money 
enough  to  repay  you.  If  the  Servian 


208    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Government  does  not  seize  it,  I  will  re- 
turn unless  I  am  shot.  Good-bye." 

As  I  finished  I  saw  General  Bombwitz 
and  the  King  come  into  the  garden  and 
beckon  to  me.  I  went  to  them  and  told 
them  that  I  was  ready.  The  King  wore 
his  uniform,  silver  helmet  and  all. 

They  brought  our  horses  and  we 
mounted  and  cantered  out  to  the  road 
and  along  the  long  lines  of  cheering 
troopers.  I  looked  appealingly  at  Clisson 
and  raised  my  gloved  hand.  He  saluted 
gravely,  swung  his  horse  and  bellowed  an 
order  that  set  the  trumpets  clanging  a 
frenzied  summons. 

"  Forward !  Trot !  Gallop  !  "  he  bawled, 
and  the  Hussars  of  the  Guard  thundered 
on  toward  the  Tiflix  notch. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


PRISONER 


IT  was  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
we  galloped  into  the  notch  and  drew 
bridle.  So  hot  had  been  our  pace  that  I 
had  scarcely  time  for  a  breathless  word  or 
two  with  Clisson.  Now  at  a  signal  from 
me,  the  trumpets  rang  "  dismount,"  and  a 
thousand  saddles  were  emptied  as  though 
by  magic. 

Clisson  detailed  one  troop  armed  with 
carbine  and  lance,  to  hold  the  narrow  pass. 
I  thought  to  myself  that  half  a  troop 
would  be  sufficient  to  keep  ten  thousand 
in  check  in  the  Tiflix  notch,  but  I  looked 
wise  and  said  nothing.  The  King,  fol- 
lowed by  Bombwitz  and  Taxil,  rode  up, 
urging  the  immediate  direction  of  a  moun- 
tain battery  to  the  further  end  of  the  pass. 
Clisson  replied  that  machine  guns  and  in- 


210    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

fantry  were  on  the  way  and  pointed  to 
my  house  in  the  valley  below  where  al- 
ready a  battalion  of  cyclist  infantry7  was 
mounting. 

"  The  guns  are  coming  as  quickly  as  the 
mules  can  trot,"  he  added  ;  "we  have  the 
pass  now  anyway  and  we  must  push  on  to 
Ezrox  and  secure  the  railway.  If  your 
Majesty  will  step  to  the  point  of  rock 
above,  I  can  explain."  As  he  spoke  he 
drew  a  bundle  of  maps  from  the  breast 
of  his  dolman,  selected  one,  unfolded  it 
and  led  the  way  to  the  flat  table-rock 
which  dominated  the  pass. 

With  a  stem  of  wild-oats,  he  began 
tracing  routes  and  rivers  and  railroads  on 
his  map,  spread  flat  on  the  rock,  four 
stones  on  each  corner  to  keep  it  from 
being  blown  away  by  the  wind.  And  all 
the  time  he  was  rattling  on,  gesticulating, 
now  and  then  referring  to  his  Major,  a 
keen  eyed,  sun-scorched  Frenchman  who 
nodded  and  chewed  a  straw. 

Taxil  and  Babu,  brilliant  in  their  crim- 
son dolmans  and  glittering  spurs,  paid  the 
greatest  attention  to  Clisson's  harangue. 


Prisoner !  211 

So  did  the  King,  leaning  heavily  on  Gen- 
eral Bombwitz*  arm.  As  for  me  I  fol- 
lowed him  easily,  partly  because  I  had 
already  studied  the  region  near  Ezrox, 
partly,  perhaps,  because  I  understood 
Parisian  French  better  than  the  others 
did. 

When  Clisson  finished  he  looked  at  me 
interrogatively. 

"  How  much  rest  do  the  horses  need  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  An  hour,"  he  said,  "  we  galloped  hard 
through  the  star-light  this  morning.  We 
have  time  to  picket  them." 

"  See  here  old  fellow,"  I  said,  drawing 
him  aside,  "  do  what  you  think  best. 
What  the  devil  do  I  know  about  cavalry 
or  anything  else  i "  Clisson's  left  eyelid 
fluttered  gently,  but  he  saluted  me  and 
tramped  away,  followed  by  a  dismounted 
trumpeter. 

The  King,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  Gen- 
eral Bombwitz,  had  stepped  into  the  open 
door  of  Constantine's  hut,  a  low,  white 
plaster  building,  half  sheltered  by  the 
cliff  His  Grace  of  Babu  followed  them 


212    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

but  Taxil  strolled  up  to  me,  twisting  his 
waxed  moustache  and  lifting  his  sabre 
over  the  stony  road. 

"  Have  I  done  well  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Indeed  you  have!"  I  exclaimed 
warmly. 

"And  when  we  get  back  to  Belgarde 
am  I  to  have  the  railroad  from  my 
mines  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  There  is  one  thing  how- 
ever that  I  do  not  understand  and  that  is, 
why  you  neither  wrote  me  from  Bazoum 
nor  sent  me  any  messengers.  I  thought 
you  understood  what  I  told  you." 

"  Messengers  !  "  said  Taxil,  astonished, 
"  why  I  sent  you  three  !  " 

"  They  never  arrived,"  I  replied,  much 
troubled ;  "  ten  to  one  they  were  in  the 
pay  of  Russia." 

"  Or  Witch  Sylvia,"  he  added  nervously. 
"  I  tried  my  best, — I  employed  men  picked 
from  the  best.  You  can  never  be  certain 
of  any  man  in  the  Balkans.  The  last 
messenger  I  sent  you  was  escorted  to  the 
south  end  of  the  Tiflix  valley  by  my  cav- 
alry patrol  to  make  certain.  He  entered 


Prisoner!  213 

the  valley,  and  I  don't  see  how  he  could 
have  gotten  out  without  your  knowledge." 

I  thought  of  the  mysterious  Russian 
who  had  left  the  valley  at  night  but  said 
nothing  to  Taxil  about  it. 

"Well,"  said  I,  "  you  may  imagine  how 
nervous  his  Majesty  was.  As  for  me,  I 
tell  you  I  was  more  than  unhappy.  But 
it 's  all  right  now ;  we  have  the  pass  and 
we  '11  hold  the  railroad  before  noon.  Did 
you  have  any  difficulty  in  finding  Clisson  ? 
What  did  the  King  of  Caucasia  say  and 
where  is  his  army  and — tell  me  something 
about  the  state  of  affairs  !  I  have  n't  an 
idea  about  anything." 

"  The  King  of  Caucasia  is  in  the  field 
with  a  hundred  thousand  men.  His  right 
wing  lay  on  the  Zitlis  hills  last  night,  his 
left  wing,  to  the  cavalry  division  of  which 
your  regiment  is  attached,  is  swinging 
along  a  line,  twenty  miles  front,  gradually 
concentrating  by  columns  at  Ezrox.  I 
know  very  little  about  the  movement  of 
the  centre.  I  believe  the  King  of  Cau- 
casia expects  to  seize  all  the  Caspian 
passes,  force  the  passage  of  the  Ulma  at 


214    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Kerestan,  turn  Dragovitza  by  a  flank 
movement,  and  over-run  Biznitz.  That 
of  course  would  mean  the  capitulation  of 
Belgarde." 

"Oh  yes,"  I  assented,  trying  to  under- 
stand. It  appeared  that  even  the  venal 
and  incapable  Duke  of  Taxil  knew  some 
things  that  I  did  n't.  I  was  slowly  com- 
ing to  the  conclusion  that  my  proper  place 
was  in  some  awkward  squad  or  possibly 
in  a  minor  cadet  school. 

"  I  'm  no  soldier,  that  's  apparent," 
thought  I  to  myself,  and  looked  gloomily 
at  Taxil. 

"  The  King  of  Caucasia  sent  money  by 
messengers  to  our  own  King,"  said  the 
Duke.  "  Did  he  not  receive  anything  ?  " 

"Not  a  pfenning!"  I  replied,  turning 
to  look  at  the  King  who  was  now  emerg- 
ing from  the  house,  followed  by  General 
Bombwitz  and  the  Duke  of  Babu. 

At  the  same  moment  Clisson  ran  up 
saying,  "  Hasten,  gentlemen,  mount ! "  and 
the  bugles  in  the  pass  rang  "  boots-and- 
saddles." 

Far  down  the  pass  I  could  see  the  head 


Prisoner!  215 

of  a  column  moving  up  behind  our  dis- 
mounted troopers.  It  was  composed  of 
cyclist  infantry,  dismounted,  escorting  a 
mule-battery. 

Ten  minutes  later  Clisson  and  I  were 
riding  side  by  side,  and  behind  us  crowded 
the  long  winding  column  of  the  Hussar 
Guard,  King  and  standards  in  the  centre, 
surrounded  by  a  picked  squadron  com- 
manded by  Bombwitz,  Taxil,  and  his  Grace 
of  Babu. 

"Ha!"  chuckled  Clisson,  twisting  his 
gray  moustache,  "  I  think  we  need  not  be 
ashamed  of  our  red  riders,  eh  !  Steen  ?" 

Then,  at  my  request  he  told  me  how 
he  had  worked  to  drum  up  all  his  old 
comrades  of  the  Chasseurs  d' Afrique  ;  how 
ninety  nine  per  cent  jumped  at  the  chance  ; 
how  he  had  also  secured  enough  relics 
from  the  Foreign  Legion  to  make  an  even 
thousand  ;  Italians,  Russians,  Americans, 
English,  even  Turks  and  needy  gentlemen 
representing  almost  every  country  of  Eur- 
ope. "  It 's  a  devil  of  a  regiment,"  he 
grinned.  "We  rendezvoused  in  Bazoum, 
and  when  I  had  them  uniformed  and 


216    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

mounted,  the  King  of  Caucasia  swore  the 
whole  regiment  into  his  service  with  the 
pledge  that,  on  the  surrender  of  Belgarde 
and  the  restoration  of  King  Theobald, 
the  regiment  should  return  to  Bazoum  as 
a  corps  d'elite  of  the  Horse-Guards.  You 
need  n't  worry  about  our  pay  either  ;  we  're 
already  paid  in  advance  for  the  few  days 
this  campaign  will  last,  and  we  have  a  big 
bounty  awaiting  us  in  Bazoum." 

As  we  rode  on,  side  by  side,  I  asked 
him  to  describe  this  King  of  Caucasia, 
and  he  did,  as  only  a  Frenchman  can  do 
such  things,  in  four  words  ;  "  Fat,  freckled, 
practical,  prosaic." 

"  I  knew  that  he  'd  help  our  King  on 
promise  of  a  free  port  of  entry  for  his 
commerce  and  his  two  torpedo  boats. 
He'll  build  more  boats  now  ;  he  '11  unload 
all  his  productions  on  Austria  and  Ger- 
many and  make  a  pretty  penny.  I  sup- 
pose he  has  lead  mines  ?  " 

"  Lots,"  laughed  Clisson,  patting  his 
horse's  neck  with  his  gloved  hand. 

"  Pleasant  prospect  for  Boznovia,"  I 
said,  and  turned  in  my  saddle  to  look  at 


Prisoner !  217 

the  column.  I  could  not  see  his  Majesty's 
face  or  figure  but  the  tall  silver  helmet, 
with  its  gold  winged  griffin,  towered 
among  the  busbys  of  the  troopers,  flash- 
ing and  scintillating  in  the  morning  sun- 
light. 

"  I  should  think,  Clisson,"  said  I,  "  that 
his  Majesty's  helmet  was  as  good  as  a 
heliograph  to  warn  an  enemy  of  our  pres- 


ence." 


"  Of  course  it 's  all  fol-de-rol !  "  mut- 
tered Clisson,  "  but  what  can  you  expect 
in  Boznovia  ?  " 

We  rode  for  awhile  in  silence,  listening 
to  the  rhythmic  trample  of  the  horses  be- 
hind us,  the  clatter  of  lance  and  carbine, 
and  the  jingling  of  chain,  bit,  and  spur. 

I  wondered  a  little  that  we  had  passed 
no  Servian  gendarmes,  or  frontier  guards. 
Even  at  the  Tiflix  notch  where  the  three 
kingdoms  come  to  a  triangular  centre, 
I  had  seen  no  Servians.  As  for  the 
other  countries,  this  frontier  of  Boznovia 
and  Caucasia  is  too  savage  and  wild  to 
need  watching,  for  even  the  smugglers 
shun  it,  the  Tiflix  valley  being  the  only 


218    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

possible  approach  to  Ezrox.  The  valley 
was  considered  a  neutral  highway  by  the 
Treaty  of  Vienna  in  1874,  although  Ser- 
via  claimed  it  as  part  of  her  territory, 
agreeing  only  to  its  use  as  a  neutral  high- 
way on  this  condition. 

When  we  left  the  pass  we  entered  Boz- 
novia,  using  the  neutral  highway  between 
Caucasia  and  the  Boznovian  frontier. 
Servia  might  have  objected  had  she  had 
time  to  seize  the  pass. 

I  told  Clisson  this  and  he  wondered 
why  they  had  not  done  so. 

"  We  should  have  lost  a  week ;  I  'm 
glad  they  did  n't,"  I  said. 

"  Servia  is  acting  queerly  it  seems  to 
me,"  observed  Clisson  ;  "  they  must  know 
what  is  going  on, — they  must  have  known 
it  long  ago.  Russia  also  has  made  no 
movement,  and  it  seems  strange,  does  n't 
it?" 

"You  expected  a  battle  here  at  the 
pass  ?  "  I  asked  curiously. 

"  Why  of  course.  The  King  of  Cau- 
casia never  expected  to  get  through  the 
Caspians  without  a  tussle  with  Servia." 


Prisoner!  219 

"What!"  I  exclaimed,  " you  expected 
to  fight  Servia,  also  ?  " 

"  Why,  "  said  Clisson,  coolly,  "  did  n't 
you?" 

"  No, — I  never  thought  of  that,"  I 
replied. 

"  Did  n't  the  King,  either?"  demanded 
Clisson  in  amazement. 

"  I  suppose  not,"  I  answered  sulkily. 

Then  Clisson  began  to  chuckle  and 
banter  me  and  torment  me  until  I  retorted 
indignantly  : 

"  How  the  devil  can  you  expect  a  sim- 
ple civilian  to  think  of  all  these  complica- 
tions ?  I  certainly  forgot  to  take  Servia 
into  consideration — but  I  could  n't  think 
of  everything,  could  I  ?  " 

"But,"  laughed  Clisson,"  the  Servians 
have  just  walloped  the  Boznovians  to 
please  Russia.  Is  n't  it  reasonable  to  ex- 
pect that  they  would  also  attempt  to 
wallop  the  Caucasians  if  Russia  gave 
them  the  wink  ?  And  we  are  going  to 
reinstate  the  very  King  that  Russian  in- 
trigue chased  out  of  Belgarde  !  And  we 
are  going  to  chase  the  Marmora  Prince, 


220    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

whom  Russia  placed  there,  back  to  his 
penny  principality  again  !  My  !  how  di- 
plomatic you  are  ! " 

"  Nonsense,"  said  I,  half  laughing,  half 
angry  :  "if  Servia  moves,  Bulgaria  is  with 
us.  If  Russia  moves,  England,  Austria, 
and  Italy  are  with  us.  If  France  lifts  a 
finger,  Germany,  Roumania,  and  all  Asia 
are  behind  us." 

"  Don't  you  believe  it,"  said  Clisson  ; 
but  I  saw  that  he  had  been  joking  me, 
and  that  he  himself  believed  it. 

"  The  simple  fact  is  this,"  I  observed  ; 
"  we  have  struck  a  spark  that  may  set  the 
world  ablaze.  If  one  country,  no  matter 
.how  small,  takes  sides  with  either  con- 
testant in  this  coming  duel,  it  means  a 
universal  war  that  will  necessitate  a 
change  in  public  school  geographies." 

And  so  we  rode  on  through  the  flower- 
ing plain,  speculating,  insisting,  disputing 
until  our  advanced  guard  came  galloping 
back  in  a  shower  of  dust  and  pebbles  to 
report  that  the  Ezrox  station  was  in  sight. 

"  I  'm  going  out  with  the  advance,"  I 
cried  eagerly,  "do  you  mind,  Clisson?" 


Prisoner!  221 

"  It  's  damned  unmilitary,"  he  mut- 
tered, "  to  see  a  Colonel  go  scuttling 
out  with  the  vedettes."  Then,  catching 
the  fun  of  the  thing,  he  laughed  and  beck- 
oned to  a  dozen  troopers. 

"  We  '11  carry  it  by  assault,"  he  chuc- 
kled to  me,  "come  on!"  and  we  struck 
spurs  to  our  horses  and  flew  out  along  the 
road  at  full  speed. 

Almost  immediately  we  sighted  the 
white  stone  station  lying  silent  and  de- 
serted in  the  bright  June  sunshine. 

On  we  raced,  bending  low  in  our  sad- 
dles, sabres  clanking,  revolvers  poised, 
the  lance-pennants  of  our  escort  flapping 
and  snapping  in  the  wind. 

"  Empty!"  cried  Clisson,  pulling  up 
sharply  at  the  edge  of  the  platform  where 
the  long  lines  of  glistening  rails  swept  in 
a  splendid  curve  around  the  base  of  the 
hill. 

I  dismounted,  and  the  escort  tumbled 
out  of  their  saddles,  carbines  unslung. 

I  shoved  my  revolver  back  into  the 
holster,  walked  to  the  closed  door,  and 
rapped. 


222    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  It  's  deserted,  is  n't  it  ?  "  called  Clis- 
son. 

"  Hark  !  "  cried  a  trumpeter,  leaping 
back,  "  there  is  something  inside  that 
house!"  and  he  sounded  the  "  alert" 
with  all  the  strength  of  his  lungs. 

"  Look  out  !  "  shouted  Clisson,  draw- 
ing his  sabre,  "  I  saw  something  pass  that 
second  window  ! " 

"  Then  in  with  the  door  !"  I  cried,  and 
flung  myself  full  weight  against  it.  It 
gave  way  easily  and  I  sprang  in  and  lev- 
elled my  revolver  at  a  dark  figure  in  a 
corner  behind  a  table. 

"Prisoner!"  shouted  the  troopers, 
crowding  into  the  dim  room. 

A  yell  of  laughter  burst  from  Clisson 
who  had  followed,  and  at  the  same  mo- 
ment a  great  mustard-coloured  bear  reared 
up  from  behind  the  table,  and  made  toward 
us  waving  his  paws. 

"  Don't  fire ! "  gasped  Clisson  weak 
with  laughter,  "  he  's  got  a  collar  on  and 
a  ring  in  his  nose  ! " 

The  troopers  drew  back  in  confusion  ; 
the  bear  looked  appealingly  at  Clisson. 


Prisoner !  223 

"  This  is  terrible,"  I  said,  scarlet  with 
mortification,  for  I  heard  the  rest  of  the 
regiment  galloping  up  outside.  But  Clis- 
son,  tears  of  mirth  streaming  down  his 
bronzed  cheeks,  seized  a  lance  from  a 
trooper  and  thrust  it  into  the  bear's  paws. 
"  Dance  !  "  he  cried,  and  the  bear  pricked 
up  his  ears  and  waltzed  gravely  toward 
us. 

"  Come  on  ! "  commanded  Clisson, 
"  allons  !  en  avant  ! "  and  the  bear  waltzed 
out  of  the  house  and  over  the  platform  in 
full  view  of  the  entire  regiment. 

"  Prisoner  !  "  shouted  the  men,  and  a 
roar  of  laughter  rose  from  the  ranks  while 
the  horses  snorted  and  reared  and  the 
lances  rattled  in  the  stirrups. 

Then  the  King  galloped  out  and  faced 
the  regiment. 

"  Soldiers  ! "  he  cried  in  a  mighty 
voice,  "  the  Russian  bear  shall  dance  to 
the  same  tune  ! " 

Then  the  troopers  swung  their  sabres 
and  cheered  and  the  trumpets  played  the 
Boznovian  "  Salute  to  the  King,"  while 
the  bear,  a  trifle  astonished,  leaned  on 


224    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

his  lance  shaft  and  gazed  admiringly  at 
the  King.  As  for  me  I  was  profoundly 
mortified. 

"If  you  ever  tell — !"  I  muttered  as 
Clisson  passed  me. 

He  was  too  much  exhausted  with 
laughter  to  reply. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  HAND  AND  THE  LETTER. 

THAT  night  his  Majesty  slept  on  a 
wooden  bench  in  the  Ezrox  rail- 
road station  and  the  troopers  slept  under 
the  stars. 

About  ten  o'clock  I  went  out  with 
Clisson  to  make  the  rounds.  We  passed 
along  the  lines  of  picketed  horses,  crossed 
the  railroad  tracks,  and  walked  slowly 
from  post  to  post,  while  from  every  side 
came  the  sharp  challenges  and  the  rattle 
of  carbines,  or  the  stamp  and  snort  of 
horses.  Far  down  the  tracks,  along  the 
glimmering  lines  of  rails,  the  vedettes 
stood  against  the  sky,  carbines  poised, 
motionless  save  when  the  horses  tossed 
their  heads  or  a  star-beam  struck  some 
breeze  lifted  pennon  or  sparkling  lance- 
tip. 


226    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

A  new  moon,  slim  and  keen  as  a  sabre 
blade,  flashed  among  the  stars  ;  and  over 
all  the  still  fragrant  night  spread  a  vast 
veil,  mysterious,  filmy,  vague  as  the  veil 
of  Isis.  Behind  us  the  massed  foliage 
of  a  forest  rose,  while  on  either  side 
meshed  branches  and  slim  trees  bordered 
the  sky  with  lace-work.  All  around  the 
pastures  lay  embroidered  with  dim  sweet 
blossoms,  pale  blots  in  the  gloom,  and 
from  hollow  and  hill-side,  from  meadow 
and  sward,  the  song  of  the  crickets 
swelled  unceasing. 

"  Fichtre  ! "  said  Clisson,  prosaic  and 
practical  to  the  last,  "  there 's  fodder 
enough  for  the  whole  cavalry  division 
in  that  pasture, — yes,  and  for  the  train- 
des-equipages  too.  What  a  pity  we 
human  creatures  are  unable  to  appreci- 
ate a  good  grass  supper  ! " 

"  Bother  take  you  Clisson,"  said  I, 
"  can't  you  enjoy  the  night  without  count- 
ing horses'  noses?"  I  had  been  dream- 
ing of  Lina. 

"Zut!"  said  the  hussar,  "  I  Ve  other 
things  to  occupy  me  ;  so  have  you,  mon 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     227 

ami, — sacre  nom  d'un  nom  ! — what 's 
that!" 

"  What  ?  Oh— that 's  the  bear.  He  '11 
scare  the  vedettes  and  get  a  hide  full  of 
lead  in  a  moment." 

"  Confound  the  brute,"  said  Clisson,  "  a 
shot  might  turn  the  whole  camp  upside 
down  !  I  wish  you  'd  be  more  careful  in 
your  selection  when  you  make  any  more 
of  the  enemy  prisoners." 

"  Don't  try  to  be  funny,"  said  I,  "  I  '11 
get  the  bear  back  myself  ; "  and  I  ran 
down  the  path  and  seized  the  great  crea- 
ture by  the  collar. 

"Come,"  said  I  angrily,  "you've  made 
me  ridiculous  enough  for  one  day,"  and  I 
dragged  on  the  collar  with  all  my  strength. 
The  bear  was  very  docile, — even  deprecat- 
ingly  servile.  He  trundled  along  beside 
me  anxiously,  and  acknowledged  Clisson's 
presence  by  sitting  up  and  waving  his 
paws. 

"  I  don't  believe  there's  a  growl  left  in 
him,"  said  Clisson.  "We  can't  keep  him 
with  our  cavalry  you  know ;  we  must 
attach  him  to  headquarters." 


228    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

-Officially!" 

"  Yes,"  said  Clisson  with  a  grave  ges- 
ture, "  he  is  the  private  property  of  King 
Theobald  of  Boznovia." 

"  What  shall  we  name  him  ?  "    I  asked. 

"  I  don't  know, — he  looks  a  little  like 
the  Metropolitan  Aloysiusof  Belgarde— 

"He  looks  more  like  Babu,"  I  sug- 
gested. 

"So  he  does  ! "  assented  Clisson,  "  but 
that   won't   do  my  son.     We  could   call 
him  Daniel, — Daniel,  in  the  bear's  den,— 
don't  you  know." 

"  Lion's  den,"  I  observed. 

"It's  all  the  same.  Daniel,  sit  up! 
See,  he  minds  very  well.  We  really 
should  name  him  Daniel.  Shall  we  ? " 
Before  I  could  reply,  a  vedette's  quick 
challenge  rang  from  the  extreme  out- 
posts. 

"Hark!"  said  Clisson,  "do  you  hear 
that ! " 

A  dull  sound  came  to  our  ears,  the 
rythmic  movement  of  marching  men, 
and,  as  we  listened,  the  distant  tramp- 
ling cadence  grew  and  grew  until  I  saw, 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     229 

through  the  darkness,  a  long  misty 
column  looming  up  across  the  meadows 
with  the  shimmer  of  bayonets  above. 

On  they  came,  the  star-light  vibrating 
on  the  tossing  bayonets,  tramp,  tramp, 
tramp,  across  the  railroad  and  down 
along  the  meadow  to  the  little  river 
behind  the  willows. 

"  It 's  Vladina's  division,"  said  Clisson, 
"  see  the  double  white  cross  on  their  caps  ! " 

"  Count  Vladina  of  Bazoum  ?  " 

"Yes.  It's  his  Foot-Guards  that  are 
passing.  Well,  the  army  is  coming,  you 
see,  and  I  suppose  we  must  be  up  and  off 
before  daylight."  He  yawned  unaffectedly 
and  looked  at  me. 

"  Come  on  to  bed  then,"  I  said,  and  we 
turned  away  toward  the  Ezrox  station. 

"  The  King  of  Caucasia  is  with  the 
centre,  or  was  last  night.  He  may  be 
here  by  morning,"  said  Clisson, — "  hold 
on, — keep  that  bear  from  walking  on  my 
boots!" 

"Daniel!"  I  cried  sternly,  "walk  on 
your  own  toes." 

As  we  rounded  the  railway  curve  below 


230    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

the  hill,  another  column  wheeled  into  view, 
more  infantry,  while  from  the  high-road 
came  the  creaking  of  baggage  wagons 
and  the  tinkle-clink-clank  of  moving  artil- 
lery. The  whole  plain  was  in  motion 
now.  In  they  crept,  long  dim  columns, 
now  indistinct,  now  visible  when  a  turn  of 
the  flank  set  the  star-light  dancing  across 
the  broad  billows  of  bayonets. 

At  last  we  came  to  the  railroad  station 
and  entered,  the  challenge  of  the  vedette 
ringing  in  our  ears.  The  King  was  awake 
and  demanded  to  know  whether  the  King 
of  Caucasia  had  arrived.  We  told  him 
all  we  knew  and  passed  on  to  the  outer 
office,  the  bear  following.  Clisson  threw 
himself  on  a  pile  of  over-coats,  inviting 
me  to  share  the  couch,  but  I  sat  down  in 
a  chair  by  the  empty  fire-place  and  in  two 
minutes  was  asleep. 

I  awoke  at  intervals  through  the  night, 
listening  to  the  movement  and  the  mighty 
murmur  of  the  passing  host,  hour  after 
hour,  but  I  always  fell  asleep  again,  to 
dream  fitfully.  Strange  faces  haunted  my 
dreams,  sometimes  the  face  of  Lina,  some- 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     231 

times  the  face  of  a  fiend  peering  at  me 
from  a  veil  of  black  hair,  until  I  cried  out 
and  stumbled  to  my  feet,  my  ears  singing 
with  the  reveille  from  the  silver  throated 
trumpets.  Clisson  also  rose  yawning  and 
stretching,  his  sabre  clashing  with  every 
movement ;  and  the  bear  trudged  around 
the  room  sniffing  at  the  cracks  under  the 
doors  where  the  fresh  sweet  country  breeze 
entered.  We  let  him  out,  and  Clisson 
called  to  Farron,  the  battalion  Adjutant 
to  see  that  Daniel  was  fed. 

Dawn  was  already  coming  up  behind 
the  Caspian  mountains  ;  the  air  smelled 
fresh  and  aromatic,  and  the  grass  before 
our  door  hung  low,  drenched  with  dew.  I 
went  to  the  door  and  looked  out.  What 
a  change  had  come  during  the  night! 
Everywhere,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
dark  masses  of  troops  were  in  motion, 
cavalry,  infantry,  endless  jumbles  of  bag- 
gage and  provision  wagons  ;  and  every- 
where bugles  were  summoning  the  drowsy, 
echoing  cheerily  over  the  meadows,  while 
on  the  edge  of  the  woods  the  cavalry 
trumpets  chorussed  a  mellow  symphony, 


232    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

and  the  deep  drums  rolled  from  the  valley 
below. 

I  heard  Clisson's  brisk  voice,  now  ex- 
plaining some  detail  to  the  King,  now  re- 
ceiving the  Veterinary-Surgeon's  report, 
now  chatting  with  the  Major  and  the 
Quartermaster-Sergeant,  or  sharply  rebuk- 
ing a  wrangling  battalion  farrier  and  a 
quarrelsome  stable  Sergeant.  There  had 
been  no  casualties  during  the  night  except 
that  an  artificer  had  got  drunk  and  punched 
a  wagoner  in  the  nose. 

The  trumpeters  were  playing  the  salute 
to  thecolours  before  I  finished  a  hasty  toilet 
in  the  corner  sink,  and  joined  the  mess  in 
the  large  waiting  office.  The  King  ap- 
peared to  be  in  better  spirits  now.  He 
laughed  at  the  antics  of  Daniel  who  had 
smelled  out  the  sugar  and  was  pawing  the 
air  in  mute  supplication. 

Taxil  and  Babu  came  in,  hungry  and 
full  of  accounts  concerning  the  corps  that 
had  been  arriving  during  the  night  and 
was  still  passing. 

"  The  Duke  of  Etropolis  is  in  com- 
mand," said  Taxil,  swallowing  a  bowl  of 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     233 

tea,  "  but  I  can't  find  either  him  or  Count 
Vladina." 

"The  guards  didn't  halt,"  observed 
Clisson  ;  "  we  shall  pass  them  on  our  way 
to  Ravno.  What  cavalry  is  that  over  by 
the  woods  ?  " 

"  Prince  Saranitza's  dragoons,"  replied 
Taxil ;  "  they  are  to  wait  there  for  Gen- 
eral Brimborio's  division  of  infantry.  What 
is  our  first  halting  place,  Colonel  Clisson  ?  " 

"  Ravno,  a  village  on  the  Demsa  ;  our 
next  is  Vistmark  on  the  same  stream  and 
then  we  arrive  at  Tchatal-Dagh." 

"  From  Tchatal-Dagh  we  can  see  Bel- 
garde,"  I  added. 

A  pale  flush  touched  the  King's  face. 
He  pushed  back  his  chair  and  rose,  as- 
sisted by  Taxil  and  Clisson.  I  heard  the 
trumpets  playing  the  "  Salute  to  the 
King  "  as  they  went  out  into  the  meadow 
and  presently  I  followed  them,  leading 
Daniel  by  the  collar.  There  was  a  colour- 
sergeant  passing,  and  I  gave  Daniel  into 
his  hands  with  strict  orders  to  make  him 
comfortable  in  the  ambulance. 

Ten  minutes  later  the  Hussar  Guards, 


234    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

trumpets  sounding,  standards  and  guidons 
fluttering,  trotted  out  of  the  meadow  by 
the  Ezrox  station  and  wheeled  into  the 
Ravno  high-way.  The  King,  as  before, 
rode  in  the  centre  with  Taxil,  Babu,  and 
General  Bombwitz,  surrounded  by  the 
standard  bearers  and  the  picked  guards. 
Clisson  and  I  and  the  chief-trumpeter 
rode  on  well  ahead. 

We  passed  several  battalions  of  Vladina's 
infantry  by  the  river  bank  in  the  valley 
but  we  saw  nothing  of  the  Count  himself. 
Farther  along  we  came  upon  an  artillery 
train  in  motion,  and  beyond  that  an  in- 
terminable line  of  baggage  wagons  escorted 
by  Bazoum  lancers  and  cyclist  infantry. 

Across  the  railroad  another  train  was 
moving,  also  escorted  by  cavalry,  and 
from  every  hill,  flag  signals  were  being 
exchanged,  heliographs  flashed  in  the  first 
sunbeams,  and  long  lines  of  field-telephone 
wire  were  being  hung,  stretching  from 
tree  to  tree  away  back  to  the  Ezrox  station 
which  I  now  concluded  was  to  become  an 
important  base  of  supply. 

The  railroad  tracks   were   heavily  pa- 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     235 

trolled  by  lancers  and  by  chasseurs  a  cheval 
of  the  Curtina  regiment,  gay  troopers  in 
orange  and  light  blue. 

Our  own  red  riders  attracted  universal 
attention,  part  of  which  was  certainly  due 
to  the  towering  griffin-crowned  silver 
helmet  of  the  King.  The  Caucasian 
troops  evidently  recognized  him  for, 
whenever  we  passed  a  regiment,  the 
drums  gave  the  nine  ruffles,  the  bugles 
pealed  the  "  Salute  to  the  King,"  and  the 
standards  swept  the  ground.  These  march- 
ing salutes  were  very  pleasant  to  the  King, 
poor  monarch ! — he  had  been  drummed 
out  of  Boznovia  to  a  very  different  tune. 
Taxil  also  seemed  pleased.  Babu's  round 
face  was  expressionless  and  emotionless 
except  when  he  gravely  chewed  on  his 
eternal  Ispha  nuts. 

Clisson,  bubbling  over  with  satisfaction 
and  good  spirits,  eulogized  his  regiment 
and  gave  me  the  personal  history  of  so 
many  of  his  old  comrades  that  I  became 
completely  muddled  and  begged  him  to 
stop.  At  ten  o'clock  we  walked  our 
horses  into  the  hamlet  of  Ravno,  where 


236    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

we  watered  them  and  made  inquiries,  sur- 
rounded by  stupid  staring  Boznovian  peas- 
ants. Then  we  took  up  our  line  of  march 
again.  At  noon  we  passed  through  Vist- 
mark,  crossing  the  river  by  the  ancient 
stone  bridge,  but  seeing  no  signs  of  op- 
position or  of  sullen  unwillingness  among 
the  village  people.  Nobody,  however, 
cheered  for  the  King  which  fact  I  remarked 
to  Clisson. 

When  we  moved  out  of  Vistmark,  our 
advanced  guard  was  cautioned,  for  we 
were  approaching  Tchatal-Dagh. 

It  was  one  o'clock  precisely  when  the 
bang  !  bang !  of  cavalry  carbines  touched 
up  the  regiment  like  an  electric  shock. 
In  a  few  minutes  our  advanced  guard 
came  pelting  back,  reporting  heavy  masses 
of  infantry  on  the  hills  in  front. 

Clisson  and  I  spurred  forward  until  we 
came  to  a  hill,  crowned  by  the  hamlet  of 
Dragovitza.  We  could  see  a  few  of  the 
enemy's  cavalry,  moving  about  the  hill- 
top, silhouetted  against  the  sky,  but  at 
first  we  discovered  no  infantry.  Clisson 
found  them  before  I  did. 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     237 

"Good  Lord!"  he  exclaimed,  "will 
you  look  at  that  plateau,  Steen  ! " 

I  turned  my  glasses  on  the  table-land 
indicated.     1 1  was  black  with  heavy  masses 
of  infantry  and  artillery.       Beyond,   the 
spires    and    minarettes   of    Tchatal-Dagh 
glistened   in   the  sun   like  icicles,  and  all 
around  them  the  heavy  pine  forests  lay, 
stretching  away  to  the  wall  of  the  Black 
Fortress  of  Tchenekoi,  the  gate   of  Bel- 
garde. 

II  There  is  an  army  there,"  said  Clisson, 
"  and  probably  most  of  it  is  lying  under 
cover  of  the  pine  woods.      Surely  they 
don't  mean  to   offer  us  battle  here  ;  that 
would   be   too  absurd  when    they    could 
have  the  support  of  the  Black  Fortress  if 
they  wanted  it." 

The  enemy's  cavalry  pickets,  numbering 
possibly  fifty,  were  galloping  toward  us 
by  this  time,  so  we  wheeled  and  trotted 
back  to  our  main  body. 

Clisson  dispatched  messengers  and  aids 
to  find  Count  Vladina  and  the  Duke  of 
Etropolis.  He  also  sent  messengers  to 
General  Brimborio  and  to  the  colonel  of 


238    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

the  last  artillery  regiment  that  we  had 
passed.  Cyclist  infantry  had  begun  to 
arrive  at  the  front  and  we  utilized  these 
swift  messengers  also,  and  to  such  good 
purpose  that  in  half  an  hour  Vladina's 
van-guard  came  into  sight,  followed  by 
the  Bazoum  lancers,  six  mounted  batteries 
of  artillery,  and  Prince  Saranitza's  dra- 
goons. Orders  also  came,  from  the  Duke 
of  Etropolis,  to  retire  and  take  up  our 
position  on  a  hill  which  rose  behind  us, 
commanding  the  entire  valley  and  table- 
land beyond  Dragovitza. 

At  a  sign  from  Clisson  the  trumpets 
sounded  and  we  wheeled  our  horses'  into 
the  fields  to  the  right,  cutting  a  broad 
swathe  through  the  sun-dried  grass  and 
daisies.  A  mounted  battery,  a  few  yards 
away,  kept  abreast  of  us,  the  limbers  and 
bronze  field-pieces  plunging  through  the 
meadow  grass  up  to  the  wheel-hubs,  the 
horses  straining  under  the  polished  creak- 
ing harness.  Beneath  our  horses  feet  the 
springy  sod  shook  as  we  cantered  across 
the  grass,  leaving  long  trails  of  crushed 
poppies,  red  as  blood.  In  a  few  minutes 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     239 

we  were  crashing  through  a  young  maize 
field,  over  crackling  stalks  and  innocent 
blue  corn-flowers,  putting  to  flight  flock 
after  flock  of  wrens  and  hedge-birds. 

Up  the  slope  we  toiled,  the  loose  earth 
and  pebbles  falling  as  our  horses'  steel- 
shod  hoofs  broke  into  the  soft  soil ;  and 
at  length  we  rode  over  the  last  incline 
and  galloped  out  across  a  stony  plateau, 
all  covered  with  tufts  of  yellow  broom 
and  Russian  thistles. 

Already  a  field-battery  had  unlimbered 
on  the  edge  of  the  hill ;  the  horses  were 
being  lead  away  to  the  hollow  below,  and 
the  covers  of  the  ammunition  chests  were 
flying  open,  click  !  click  !  while  a  Major 
of  artillery  followed  by  a  bugler,  walked 
up  and  down  bellowing  orders  and  rat- 
tling his  sabre  hilt  fiercely. 

Other  batteries  were  arriving  as  we 
wheeled  again  and  trotted  into  a  little 
hollow  to  the  right,  sheltered  by  a  thicket 
of  poplar  trees. 

Here  our  troopers  dismounted,  flinging 
themselves  on  the  ground  beside  a  clear 
cold  brook  that  flowed  swiftly  through 


240    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

copse,  but  Clisson  and  I  followed  the 
King  up  the  slope  again  toward  a  group 
of  officers  who  had  just  galloped  up  to  the 
batteries  and  were  examining  the  valley 
below. 

"  Zut  ! "  said  Clisson,  "  there  are  the 
Count  Vladina  and  the  Duke  of  Etropo- 
lis ! " 

"Yes,"  said  the  King  quietly,  "and  I 
think  I  see  the  King  of  Caucasia  also." 

At  that  moment  one  of  the  officers 
caught  sight  of  us  and,  hastily  dismount- 
ing came  toward  the  King,  both  hands 
outstretched. 

It  was  King  Casimir  of  Caucasia. 

"  See  'em  embrace  !  "  sneered  Clisson 
aside  to  me,  as  the  two  monarchs  fell  into 
each  other's  arms,  "  every  hug  that  old 
Casimir  gives  means,  *  I  Ve  got  you  now 
and  you  Ve  got  to  let  my  ships  into  the 
Balkan  Sea '  ;  and  every  squeeze  that  our 
King  gives  in  return  means,  *  only  get  me 
into  Belgarde  and  you  can  do  what  you 
d— n  please  ! ' " 

"  You  Ve  a  cynical  Frenchman,"  said  I, 
"  it 's  a  very  affecting  sight, — hello  !  here 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     241 

comes  the  staff  to  be  presented  ;  buck  up 
and  look  interested  if  you  can — '  Before 
I  could  finish  we  were  in  the  centre  of  a 
throng  of  brilliantly  uniformed  officers 
bowing  and  saluting  and  returning  com- 
pliments and  pledges  until  Taxil,  Babu, 
and  Bombwitz  came  up  and  created  a  di- 
version of  interest  from  ourselves.  Prince 
Saranitza,  gorgeous  in  his  dragoon's  uni- 
form, slipped  his  arm  through  mine  and 
dragged  me  away  to  inspect  the  plateau 
beyond  ;  and  the  others  followed  the  two 
sovereigns  toward  a  marquee  which  was 
pitched  behind  the  hillside  on  the  banks 
of  the  clear  meadow  brook. 

"  There  must  be  thirty  or  forty  thou- 
sand infantry  in  those  woods  over  there," 
said  Prince  Saranitza,  levelling  his  field- 
glasses.  "I  suppose  they  expect  us  to 
attack  and  I  hope  we  will,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  I 
replied  frankly,  also  bringing  my  glasses 
to  bear  on  the  plateau. 

"We  none  of  us  do  except  the  King 
and  the  Duke  of  Etropolis,"  observed 
the  Prince, — "  by  the  way,  you  Ve  got  a 


16 


242    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

fine  cavalry  brigade ;  I  saw  them  in  Ba- 
zoum  and  also  this  morning  before  you 
started.  With  my  dragoons  and  a  regi- 
ment or  two  from  Plotz's  division,  we 
ought  to  have  a  jolly  good  charge, — now 
don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  I,  "of  course  I  want  to 
try  something  of  that  sort  when  the  time 
comes.  What  do  you  suppose  the  King 
of  Caucasia  will  do  ?  " 

"  It  looks  as  if  he  was  massing  the  ar- 
tillery to  shell  them  out  of  the  woods  and 
then  charge  them  with  Vladina's  infantry. 
We  will  probably  be  sent  after  them  when 
they  run." 

"//"they  run,"  said  I. 

"  Exactly,"  laughed  the  Prince,  "  and 
of  course  they  will,  you  know.  Won't  it 
be  fun  to  go  clattering  along  on  their 
heels  right  up  to  the  gates  of  Belgarde." 

"  Indeed  it  will  be,"  said  I,  "but  what 
about  the  Black  Fortress  of  Tchene- 
koi?" 

"  Storm  it,"  said  Saranitza  cheerfully, 
— "hello,  here  comes  Clisson." 

"  The  King  of  Caucasia  gives  us  permis- 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     243 

sion  to  take  a  few  men  and  ride  to  Dra- 
govitza  for  information,"  said  Clisson, 
saluting. 

"  Come  on  then,"  cried  the  Prince,  mo- 
tioning to  a  trooper  who  was  holding  his 
horse ;  and  in  a  moment  Clisson,  the 
Prince,  and  I,  followed  by  an  escort  of 
our  red  riders,  were  galloping  along  the 
rear  of  the  batteries,  exchanging  salutes 
and  merry  badinage  with  passing  artillery 
officers.  In  a  minute  or  two  we  arrived 
again  at  the  slope.  Through  the  tram- 
pled cracking  maize  stalks  and  out  into 
the  meadow  we  galloped  until  we  came 
to  the  Ravno  highway,  where  the  en- 
gineers were  fortifying  the  stone  bridge 
that  spans  the  meadow  stream. 

"Be  cautious,"  said  Clisson;  "we 
found  the  enemy's  cavalry  roaming  about 
that  hilltop  when  we  came  in  sight  of 
Dragovitza  before." 

"  We  could  drive  them  out  with  our 
peloton,"  suggested  the  Prince. 

"Certainly,"  replied  Clisson  sarcas- 
tically, "but  that  's  exactly  what  we 
did  n't  come  for." 


244    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

The  Prince  laughed  and  spurred  for- 
ward with  a  careless  gesture  to  me,  and 
we  all  followed  at  a  hand-gallop.  I 
thought  I  heard  Clisson  mutter  "  idiot," 
but  I  was  not  sure. 

In  a  dozen  rods  we  suddenly  came  in 
sight  of  the  hamlet  of  Dragovitza,  and 
Clisson  drew  bridle  and  called  sharply  to 
the  Prince. 

"  Slowly,  slowly  now  ;  we  don't  want 
to  ride  down  a  regiment  by  mistake  ;  it 
might  stampede  them,  you  know." 

"  There  is  n't  a  horseman  in  sight," 
said  I,  "  perhaps  the  road  is  clear— 

"  — And  perhaps  it  is  n't,"  said  Clis- 
son, peering  through  his  field-glasses ; 
"come  on  anyway,  and  remember  we  are 
not  looking  for  a  belly-full  of  bullets  just 
yet." 

I  turned  to  the  troopers  of  the  peloton 
and  ordered  them  to  sheath  sabres  and 
unsling  their  carbines.  Clisson  drew  his 
revolver  and  examined  the  cylinder  care- 
fully, but  Prince  Saranitza  bared  his  dra- 
goon's sabre  with  a  laugh. 

"  Arme-blanche  for  me,"    he  said,    "  I 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     245 

prefer  it "  ;  and  we  gathered  our  bridles 
and  trotted  up  the  hill  in  open  order. 

"  Look  out  ! "  sang  out  Clisson,  "  there 's 
something  moving  behind  that  cow-shed 
to  the  left  ! "  Without  a  word  the  Prince 
put  his  horse  to  the  road-side  ditch  and 
made  straight  for  the  shed. 

"  Come  back  !  "  shouted  Clisson,  and 
then,  cursing,  jumped  his  horse  over  the 
same  ditch  and  followed  the  feather- 
brained dragoon.  At  the  same  moment 
the  rattle  of  carbines  broke  out  from  the 
village  and  the  bullets  came  zip  !  ztzing  ! 
z zt !  around  our  ears. 

A  light  veil  of  smoke  hung  across  the 
single  village  street,  and  through  it  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  mounted  forms,  scur- 
rying away  toward  the  highway  beyond. 

"  There  are  only  a  dozen  of  them  !  "  I 
cried,  and  galloped  into  the  village,  fol- 
lowed by  my  peloton  of  hussars.  It  was 
deserted  except  for  a  frightened  chicken 
that  rushed  headlong  into  a  weed  patch, 
squawking.  Saranitza  and  Clisson  came 
up  at  the  same  moment.  I  sent  my  men 
through  every  hut,  every  barn-yard,  to 


246    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

find  a  native,  but  all  the  huts  were  empty, 
and  we  pushed  on,  carbines  and  revolvers 
poised. 

When  we  came  to  the  end  of  the  vil- 
lage, we  could  plainly  see,  far  down  the 
white  highway,  the  cloud  of  dust  kicked 
up  by  the  enemy's  flying  vedettes. 

"  They  are  making  tracks  for  the  pla- 
teau and  the  woods,"  said  the  Prince ; 
"  shall  we  give  them  a  race  ?  " 

Clisson  disdained  to  answer  him,  but, 
dismounting,  sat  down  on  a  rock  and 
raised  his  field-glasses.  We  followed  his 
example. 

Far  on  the  edge  of  the  plain  the  towers 
and  minarettes  of  Tchatal-Dagh  glistened 
in  the  sun-light  ;  to  the  east  the  dense 
pine  forests  of  Boznovia  swept  in  a  semi- 
circle about  the  plateau  ;  to  the  west  the 
Caspian  Mountains  shimmered  blue  and 
ponderous,  and  below  us  lay  the  valley  of 
the  Demsa,  green  and  fresh  under  a  cloud- 
less sky.  We  could  discover  no  troops 
in  the  valley,  but  the  dark  masses  of  in- 
fantry still  lay  along  the  edge  of  the  forest 
on  the  plateau. 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.      247 

It  was  noon,  and  Clisson  produced  a 
bottle  of  red  wine  and  some  Servian 
cheese,  the  odor  of  which  sent  Saranitza 
and  myself  to  windward.  We  advised 
Clisson  to  fill  a  few  bombs  with  it,  pre- 
dicting panic  to  any  army  so  bombarded, 
but  Clisson  munched  away  very  coolly, 
and  I  retired,  motioning  my  troopers  to 
dismount  and  eat. 

When  I  was  out  of  the  cheese-tainted 
atmosphere,  and  out  of  sight  too  for  that 
matter,  I  produced  my  flask  and  dried 
meat  and  fell  to  with  an  appetite. 

I  sat  quite  still,  the  cool  hill-winds 
blowing  in  my  face,  musing,  eating,  drink- 
ing, by  turns,  my  hussar's  busby  and  sabre 
on  a  rock  beside  me.  In  the  grass  the 
little  ants  were  already  busy  with  the 
dropped  crumbs  ;  crickets  scrambled 
about,  running  boldly  over  my  spurred 
boots,  and  metallic  winged  gorse-butter- 
flies  flitted  and  fluttered  across  my  face. 

"  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death," 
I  repeated  aloud,  watching  the  ants  ; 
a  careless  movement  of  my  boot  heel 
might  have  crushed  out  a  dozen  lives.  I 


248    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

caught  a  cricket  with  a  quick  movement 
and  held  it  gently  between  my  fingers. 

"  Poor  devil,"  I  said,  "what  if  I  should 
close  my  hand  ?  " 

Then  I  let  it  go  uninjured,  wondering 
whether  God  would  spare  me  in  battle  ; 
and  I  bit  a  piece  from  my  sandwich  and 
gazed  at  my  spurs. 

I  was  about  to  rise,  after  having  taken 
a  last  swallow  from  my  flask,  and  I  had 
already  picked  up  my  busby  and  sabre, 
when,  without  the  least  warning,  the 
bushes  beside  me  parted  and  a  human 
hand  was  thrust  out.  Before  I  could  re- 
cover from  the  shock  and  seize  my  re- 
volver, the  hand  opened,  a  letter  dropped 
on  the  grass,  and  the  hand  disappeared. 
In  an  instant  I  had  leaped  into  the  thicket, 
crashing  and  clambering  about  among  the 
stumps  and  tangled  undergrowth,  but,  al- 
though I  could  distinctly  hear  somebody 
moving  farther  and  farther  away,  I  neither 
knew  in  which  direction  the  sound  came 
from  nor  could  I  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  liv- 
ing thing. 

At  last  the  sound  died  away  and  I  lis- 


The  Hand  and  the  Letter.     249 

tened  for  a  moment  and  then  floundered 
out  of  the  undergrowth  to  the  open 
meadow  where  the  letter  lay.  Slowly  I 
stooped  and  picked  it  up,  turning  the 
written  side  over.  The  letter  was  ad- 
dressed to  me  ! 

I  sat  down  on  the  grass,  casting  a  nerv- 
ous glance  at  the  thicket,  and  tore  the 
letter  from  its  cover.  A  sheet  of  paper, 
faintly  perfumed  and  covered  with  long 
fine  writing  fluttered  out.  This  was  what 
I  read : 

"  BELGARDE, 

Thursday  Evening. 
MY  DARLING  : 

This  is  my  first  warning.  The  Boznovian  army 
is  encamped  on  the  plateau  beyond  Dragovitza. 
Push  on  after  them  without  delay  ;  they  will  not 
stand  but  will  fall  back  on  the  Black  Fortress  of 
Tchenekoi.  Take  the  Ravno  high-road  and  halt 
at  Tchatal-Dagh  until  you  hear  again  from  me.  I 
am  with  Witch  Sylvia  and  watch  her  every  move- 
ment. I  love  you  ;  you  must  not  die. 

LINA." 

I  read  the  letter  three  times  ;  then  I 
stood  up,  opened  my  dolman,  thrust  the 
letter  into  my  bosom  in  the  general  direc- 


250    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

tion  of  my  heart,  and  walked  lightly  across 
the  field  to  where  my  comrades  were 
lounging. 

"Well,"  said  Clisson,  "  I've  finished 
my  cheese.  Your  face  is  scratched  ;  have 
you  been  finding  some  Boznovian  peasant 
girl  and  have  you  been  conducting  your- 
self with  more  enthusiasm  than  discre- 
tion ?  " 

"Ah — h!  1'amour  !  1'amour  !  "  sighed 
the  Prince,  emptying  his  bottle  of  Bur- 
gundy and  clicking  his  white  teeth  to- 
gether. 

"  Come  along,"  said  I,  "  I  have  news 
for  King  Casimir."  And  I  gave  the  signal 
to  mount. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    BATTLE    OF    DRAGOVITZA. 

BEFORE  we  were  fairly  in  our  sad- 
dles, the  deep  crash  of  a  cannon 
sounded  among  the  trees  and  rocks,  echo- 
ing far  out  across  the  valley,  and  I  saw  a 
pillar  of  white  smoke  drifting  from  the 
hill-top  where  our  batteries  lay.  Again 
the  solemn  note  of  the  cannon  sounded, 
and  again  and  yet  again,  while  the  hill- 
top swam  in  a  vast  eddy  of  white  clouds 
through  which  pale  tongues  of  flame  leaped 
out  into  the  sunshine. 

The  troop-horses  pricked  up  their  soft 
ears  and  switched  their  tails.  Far  across 
the  valley  on  the  forest-fringed  plateau, 
the  shells  were  falling  and  exploding  in 
little  puffs  of  smoke,  but  the  masses  of 
infantry  had  disappeared,  probably  into 
the  forest,  and,  through  my  field-glasses, 
251 


252    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

I  could  see  the  shells  drop  among  the 
thistles  and  herbage,  bursting  in  a  shower 
of  dirt  and  shattered  shrubs  before  the 
intrenchments. 

And  now  the  roll  of  the  cannonade 
increased,  roaring,  swelling,  resounding 
among  the  rocks,  until  it  became  one  deep 
prolonged  peal,  and  the  hill  was  hidden 
in  billowy  clouds. 

"Mount!"  I  cried,  "March!  Trot! 
Gallop ! "  -and  away  we  clattered  in  a 
swirl  of  dust  and  leaves. 

All  the  way  to  headquarters,  Clisson 
and  Prince  Saranitza  and  I  discussed  the 
meaning  of  the  sudden  artillery  outburst, 
and  I  was  wondering  how  soon  we  might 
be  expected  to  move  out  in  force,  when  a 
messenger  from  the  King  of  Caucasia 
dashed  up,  ordering  Clisson  to  his  regi- 
ment, Saranitza  to  his,  and  me  to  report 
at  headquarters. 

Half  way  up  the  slope  we  separated, 
the  Prince  cantering  gaily  away  to  his 
dragoons,  Clisson  and  my  red  riders  plun- 
ging through  the  maize  field  toward  the 
hollow,  and  I,  spurring  straight  up  the 


The  Battle  of  Dragovitza.     253 

smoking  hill  toward  the  headquarters  of 
King  Casimir  of  Caucasia. 

As  I  guided  my  horse  through  the  dense 
cannon  mist  drifting  in  from  the  batteries, 
the  ear-splitting  crash  of  the  guns  made 
me  dizzy  and  the  sulphurous  fog,  thicken- 
ing at  every  deafening  blast,  filled  my 
throat  and  eyes  until  I  could  scarcely  see 
or  breathe.  Half  stifled,  blinded,  and 
stunned,  I  finally  stumbled  UD  against  a 
vedette  and  dismounted  before  the  mar- 
quee. In  a  scarcely  audible  voice  I  asked 
for  the  King  of  Caucasia,  giving  my  name 
to  the  orderly,  and  at  once  I  was  ushered 
into  the  tent  where  a  dozen  officers  were 
sitting  closely  huddled  around  a  small 
deal  table. 

"  Ha ! "  said  the  King  of  Caucasia  when 
he  saw  me  ;  and  all  the  officers  turned 
and  regarded  me  with  half-suppressed 
grins. 

"What  is  this  I  hear  about  a  bear?" 
asked  King  Casimir  angrily. 

"  Bear  ? — your  Majesty,"  I  replied,  be- 
wildered. 

"  Yes,  a  bear,"  snapped  King  Casimir, 


254    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  it  is  reported  that  you  found  one  in  the 
Ezrox  station." 

"  I  did,"  I  replied,  flushing  with  annoy- 
ance. 

"  A  tame  one  ?  " 

"  Yes  your  Majesty." 

-Where  is  it?" 

"In  the  cavalry  ambulance,  sire." 

"  Then  read  that,"  said  the  King,  hand- 
ing me  a  letter  across  the  table. 

"  I  am  to  read  it  ?  " 

"  Yes, — I  don't  care  who  reads  it,  but 
I  '11  be  revenged  for  this  insult  !"  fumed 
the  King. 

I  read  the  letter  in  growing  astonish- 
ment : 

"  The  Princess  Sylvia  of  Marmora  begs  to  inform 
King  Casimir  of  Caucasia  that  she  lost  her  pet  bear 
somewhere  on  the  Ravno  highway  between  the 
Tiflix  notch  and  Tchatal-Dagh.  In  case  King 
Casimir  should  find  the  bear,  will  he  be  kind 
enough  to  bring  it  with  him  to  Belgarde,  as  the 
Princess  Sylvia  would  rather  have  two  bears  than 
none  at  all. 

(Signed)  "SYLVIA  OF  MARMORA." 

"  There  's  a  post-script  on    the   other 


The  Battle  of  Dragovitza.     255 

side,"   cried  the   King  passionately,   and 
banged  his  fist  on  the  table. 

I  turned  the  sheet  of  paper  and  read : 

"  The  bear  is  called  Casimir,  but  there  need  be 
no  confusion,  for  the  Princess  Sylvia  expects  to 
change  either  the  bear's  name  or  the  most  Christian 
name  of  King  Casimir  when  the  menagerie  arrives." 

"  Witch  Sylvia ! "  I  said,  not  knowing 
what  else  to  say. 

"The  'menagerie,'"  said  the  King  in 
an  awful  voice,  "  means  me  and  the  bear. 
Very  good, — very,  ve-ry  good  !  She  wants 
her  bear,  this  Witch  Sylvia ; — she  shall 
have  her  bear.  Colonel  Steen,  you  have 
orders  to  immediately  attach  that  bear  to 
the  personnel  of  my  headquarters,  and  I 
will  stake  my  crown  that  the  Princess 
Sylvia  of  Marmora  receives  her  property 
from  my  own  hand." 

I  saluted,  stifling  a  violent  inclination 
to  laugh,  and  walked  out  through  the 
smoke  again  toward  the  batteries. 

The  din  of  the  cannon  made  my  ears 
ache  ;  I  felt  the  earth  tremble  beneath 
me  at  every  explosion.  Bugles  were 


256    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

sounding  too  from  the  masses  of  crouch- 
ing infantry,  but  the  shock  and  pealing 
crashes  from  the  batteries  almost  drowned 
their  clangor.  As  for  the  drums,  not  a 
tap  could  be  heard  although  the  troops 
seemed  to  read  the  signal  from  the  vibrat- 
ing drum-sticks ;  for  now  long  lines  of 
infantry  rose  up  from  thicket  and  mead- 
ow-grass, and  started  off  down  the  hill- 
side in  open  order.  For  a  while  I  could 
see  their  flags  moving,  well  ahead  of  the 
line  of  battle,  and  farther  on,  the  skir- 
mish lines,  hurrying  out  through  the  veil 
of  smoke,  while  above  their  heads  red  jets 
of  flame  leaped  and  played  and  lashed 
out  through  the  cannon  gloom,  licking 
the  edges  of  the  sulphurous  cloud  with  a 
hundred  dazzling  tongues. 

Taxil  and  Babu  passed  and  I  called  to 
them,  but  they  could  not  hear  me  of 
course,  and  I  followed  them  and  laid  my 
hand  on  Taxil's  arm. 

"  What  the  devil  are  they  doing  any- 
way ?  "  I  shouted  close  to  his  ear. 

"  You  need  n't  howl  that  way,"  said 
the  Duke  much  amused,  "  you  need  only 


The  Battle  of  Dragovitza.     257 

lower  your  voice  to  be  understood.  Vla- 
dina's  division  is  moving  on  the  plateau 
under  cover  of  the  cannonade,"  he  added. 

I  thought  of  my  letter  and  Lina's  ad- 
vice and  decided,  as  the  troops  were  doing 
what  Lina  had  said  they  should  do,  that 
there  was  no  immediate  need  of  making 
King  Casimir  my  confidant. 

"  The  cannonade  will  slacken  in  a  few 
minutes,"  observed  Babu,  rolling  a  bit  of 
Ispha  nut  under  his  tongue,  "  as  soon  as 
Vladina's  troops  get  to  the  foot  of  the 
plateau." 

"  Where 's  that  bear  ?  "  I  asked  abruptly. 

"In  the  ambulance,"  replied  Taxil. 

"  Send  the  brute  to  King  Casimir  at 
once  then,"  I  said,  and  left  them,  return- 
ing their  astonished  salutes  impatiently. 

"  Sure  as  guns,"  said  I  to  myself,  "the 
cavalry  will  be  needed  as  soon  as  Vladi- 
na's infantry  get  onto  the  plateau  "  ;  and 
I  walked  up  to  my  horse,  mounted,  and 
picked  my  way  through  a  mass  of  artillery 
and  baggage  trains  to  the  hollow  below 
the  hill  where  my  own  regiment  lay. 

The  troopers  were  still  lolling  about  on 


258    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

the  ground  beside  the  stream  and  the 
horses  cropped  the  grass  or  tore  strips  of 
tender  bark  and  clusters  of  leaves  from 
the  bushes  ;  but  I  saw  that  Clisson  and 
Bombwitz  were  mounted  and  were  atten- 
tively examining  the  valley  through  their 
binoculars. 

The  cannonade  had  already  begun  to 
slacken  as  I  rode  up  to  them  ;  and  I  was 
able  to  make  myself  heard  without  dan- 
ger of  throat  rupture. 

"Aha!"  cried  Clisson  briskly,  "  if  I 
am  not  mistaken,  Count  Vladina  is  mov- 
ing on  the  plateau." 

"  You  're  right,"  said  I,  "  and  I  suppose 
we  will  be  wanted  presently.  I  see  that 
Prince  Saranitza's  dragoons  are  already  in 
position.  What  a  hasty  young  man  he  is  !  " 

"  The  cannon  have  ceased,"  observed 
Bombwitz,  "and  here  comes  an  aid-de- 
camp with  orders." 

"Where's  my  trumpeter?"  I  cried ; 
"here!  sound  boots-and-saddles !  Clis- 
son, does  his  Majesty  go  with  us  ?  Yes  ? 
Good  then  ;  —  General  Bombwitz,  pray 
find  the  King,  for  these  orders  admit  of 


The  Battle  of  Dragovitza.     259 

no  delay.  Sound  the  '  Salute  to  the  King !  * 
Ah,  here  comes  his  Majesty  with  Taxil 
and  Babu.  Clisson,  I  lead,  remember,— 
your  horse's  nose  is  not  to  pass  my  hol- 
ster unless  I  'm  hit.  Sound  and  mount  ! 
March  !  Trot !  " 

The  grassy  meadow  shook  as  we  moved 
out  of  the  hollow  and  down  the  slope  into 
the  plain.  Out  of  the  corner  of  my  eye 
I  saw  Saranitza's  dragoons  trotting  abreast 
of  us  and  beyond  them  other  lines  of  cav- 
alry, all  moving  at  a  trot  over  the  vast 
plain  toward  the  plateau  at  the  end  of  the 
valley. 

"The  Duke  of  Etropolis  commands  in 
person,"  said  Clisson  at  my  elbow  ;  "  he 
is  over  there  with  the  Curtina  division 
and  the  Bazoum  lancers." 

"  He  does  n't  command  this  regiment," 
I  said  flippantly  ;  "  we  will  beat  him  up 
the  hill  ! " 

"  Go  easy,  all  the  same,"  said  Clisson 
laughing  and  bringing  his  horse  a  pace 
closer. 

"  Stop  that,  Clisson,"  I  said  ;  "  I  am 
leading  this  charge."  Then  I  bared  my 


260    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

sabre  and  raised  it  in  the  sunlight,  half 
turning1  in  my  saddle. 

"Draw  sabres!  Gallop!"  I  shouted, 
and  the  trumpets  pealed  a  stirring  re- 
sponse. 

"  You  'd  better  let  me  give  the  orders," 
suggested  Clisson,  coming  closer  again. 

"  There 's  only  one  more  to  give,"  said  I, 
"  and  I  '11  give  it  when  the  time  comes." 

Nearer  and  nearer  we  drew  to  the  foot 
of  the  grey  plateau  where  already  Vladi- 
na's  endless  columns  were  hurrying  up 
the  slope,  flags  tossing,  bayonets  flashing 
in  the  sun. 

"  They  11  get  there  first !  "  I  panted  to 
Clisson. 

"  Of  course,"  he  said,  "  that 's  what  was 
planned  !  " 

"  I  don't  care  a  damn  what  was 
planned  !  "  I  cried, — for  I  was  feverishly 
excited  with  the  clash  of  arms  and  the 
splendid  sweeping  gallop, — "  I  'm  going 
to  get  there  first  !  " 

"  Wait !  "  urged  Clisson,  but  my  answer 
was  to  rise  in  my  stirrups  and  swing  my 
sabre. 


The  Battle  of  Dragovitza.     261 

"  Charge  !  "  I  shouted,  and  the  trum- 
pets answered  swiftly,  and  the  Hussars  of 
the  Body-Guard  plunged  forward  cheer- 
ing, breasting  the  slope  like  a  tempest 
crested  wave,  dashing  up,  onto,  and  over 
the  shell-torn  summit,  and  on  across  the 
plateau. 

Right  in  front  of  us  lay  a  low  line  of 
breastworks  from  the  embrasures  and 
angles  of  which  protruded  cannon. 

"It's  too  late  to  halt!"    gasped  Clis- 

son  ;    "  charge    the    batteries,  in     God's 

»n 
^  . 

"  Charge  ! "  I  shouted,  and  "  Charge  !  " 
burst  from  the  silvery  bugles,  and  away 
we  dashed,  sabres  swinging  in  the  sun- 
shine. 

My  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  black  muz- 
zles of  the  cannon,  and  I  vaguely  won- 
dered when  the  storm  would  burst  upon 
us,  but  I  was  not  nervous  for  I  felt  the 
grand  stride  of  my  horse  and  the  intoxi- 
cation' of  my  first  charge,  and  my  ears 
were  filled  with  the  clamor  of  a  thousand 
voices,  thrilling  me  like  the  roaring  of  a 
mighty  wind  : 


262    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  For  the  King !  Charge  !  For  the 
King!" 

"  Now  ! "  bellowed  Clisson,  "  over  the 
earth-works  !  In  we  go  !"  and  the  horses 
hurled  themselves  furiously  upon  the  in- 
trenchments, — and  lo  !  we  were  inside. 

At  first,  in  the  confusion  and  shouting 
and  neighing  of  horses,  I  could  not  com- 
prehend exactly  why  we  were  not  en- 
gaged in  a  terrible  hand  to  hand  struggle, 
but  gradually,  as  I  mastered  my  horse  and 
turned  my  blood-shot  eyes,  I  saw  no  signs 
of  any  enemy,  only  the  plunging,  pran- 
cing, vociferous  squadrons  of  my  own  regi- 
ment ;  and  now  also,  the  first  columns  of 
Vladina's  infantry  appearing  over  the  hill- 
crest,  and  Prince  Saranitza's  dragoons 
sweeping  in  from  the  other  side. 

"  What  does  it  all  mean  ?  "  I  stammered, 
looking  helplessly  at  Clisson  who  sat  on 
his  dripping  horse,  smiling  grimly. 

"Oh    nothing,"   he    said,    "nothing- 
nothing  except  that  we  charged  empty  in- 
trenchments  and  dummy  cannon, — which," 
he  added  with  a  roar  of  laughter,  "our  artil- 
lery has  been  shelling  for  three  hours  ! " 


The  Battle  of  Dragovitza.      263 

"  Dummy  cannon  ! "  I  repeated  in- 
credulous and  angry. 

"  Look  for  yourself,"  said  Clisson. 

It  was  too  true.  Painted  logs  lay  in 
the  emplacements,  some  not  even  mounted 
on  wheels.  The  flag,  flying  from  the 
breastworks  was  merely  a  peasant  wo- 
man's red  and  white  apron,  and  a  hundred 
or  two  battered  old  helmets,  stuck  upon 
sticks  completed  the  miserable  farce. 

"  Good  heavens  ! "  I  muttered,  "  this  is 
terrible,  Clisson  !  " 

"  Oh,  not  so  bad,"  he  said,  choking  with 
laughter,  "you  know  we  took  a  prisoner 
yesterday— 

I  wheeled  my  horse  abruptly  and  rode 
out  of  ear-shot ;  and  the  things  I  said 
must  have  turned  the  angels  pale. 

A  trooper  trotted  up  to  me  grinning 
and  saluting.  He  held  the  captured  flag, 
the  peasant  woman's  apron,  in  his  hand. 

"  Throw  that  rag  away  !  "  I  said  sulkily. 

"  There  is  something  written  on  it,  mon 
Colonel,"  said  the  trooper  doubtfully,  and 
held  the  apron  spread  toward  me.  On  it 
was  painted  in  black  letters  : 


264    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Compliments  of  the  Princess  Sylvia 
of  Marmora." 

My  teeth  chattered  with  rage  and  I  felt 
my  face  grow  hot  and  cold  alternately. 
At  last  I  controlled  myself  and  found  my 
voice. 

"  Take  the  captured  standard  to  King 
Casimir  of  Caucasia,"  I  said,  and  went 
away  to  hide  my  mortification  and  nurse 
my  wrath  against  this  devil  in  woman's 
shape  who  had  twice  made  me  ridiculous 
before  my  regiment 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

AN    UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY. 

THE  army  camped  that  night  on  the 
plateau.  Vladina's  division  of  in- 
fantry occupied  the  intrenchments,  the 
artillery  was  parked  in  the  rear,  and  the 
cavalry,  except  the  Bazoum  lancers,  held 
the  plateau,  from  the  earthworks  to  the 
forest,  the  vedettes  of  their  advanced  posts 
patrolling  the  Ravno  high-road  to  within 
hailing  distance  of  the  walls  of  Tchatal- 
Dagh.  The  Bazoum  lancers  guarded  the 
train-des-equipages,  and  incidentally,  the 
telephone  wires  to  the  Ezrox  Station. 

On  receipt  of  the  captured  apron  with 
the  insulting  inscription,  the  King  of  Cau- 
casia had  sent  for  me.  I  found  him  in  a 
towering  rage,  but  I  was  in  no  mood  to 
be  trifled  with  and  I  gave  him  to  under- 
stand so  at  once.  It  relieved  him  some- 


266    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

what  to  see  that  I  was  fully  as  angry  as  he 
was,  for  he  imagined,  I  fancy,  that  the 
whole  army  was  laughing  at  him.  As 
I,  rightly  or  wrongly,  imagined  the  same 
thing  concerning  myself,  we  soon  came 
to  an  understanding  that  boded  ill  for  this 
low-comedy  Princess.  In  a  paroxysm  of 
confidence  I  told  the  King  about  my 
means  of  communication  through  Lina, 
and  showed  him  all  that  was  necessary  of 
her  letter.  It  seemed  to  impress  him 
considerably,  for  in  spite  of  his  outburst, 
I  noticed  that  the  mention  of  Witch 
Sylvia  was  received  with  something  that 
bordered  on  uneasiness. 

"  She  's  a  devil,  that  's  what  she  is," 
said  the  King,  "  and  it  won't  do  to  ignore 
her  in  this  campaign.  If  it  were  only  her 
brother  whom  we  had  to  deal  with  I  'd 
march  on  Belgarde  to-night." 

"  We  will  be  in  Tchatal-Dagh  by  sun- 
rise anyway,"  I  observed. 

The  King  turned  and  looked  at  Daniel, 
the  bear,  who  lay  quietly  sleeping  under  a 
shelter  tent  at  the  door  of  the  marquee. 
I  saw  the  King's  face  grow  red  again  as 


An  Unexpected  Journey.   267 

he  remembered  the  insult  to  his  Christian 
name. 

"Pray  forget  it,  your  Majesty,"  I  said, 
"we  will  pack  this  Marmora  figurante 
back  to  her  own  country  before  the  end 
of  the  week." 

The  King  nodded  and  buried  his  nose 
in  his  hands.  He  did  look  like  the  bear, 
—a  little. 

The  Duke  of  Etropolis  followed  by 
Saranitza,  Vladina,  and  General  Brim- 
borio  came  in  and  the  King  told  them 
about  my  secret  communication  with  the 
palace  at  Belgarde. 

"  Probably  I  shall  receive  another  note 
after  we  enter  Tchatal-Dagh,"  said  I, 
"  and  in  that  case  I  will  bring  it  at  once 
to  your  Majesty." 

"  I  hope  it  may  give  us  some  idea  of  the 
Black  Fortress,"  observed  Vladina,  "  I 
don't  like  the  looks  of  it  particularly." 

"  We  must  storm  it,"  said  Prince  Sara- 
nitza with  a  careless  smile  at  me. 

"  What  we  need  will  be  siege  guns,  and 
we  '11  have  to  sit  down  before  Belgarde 
and  wait  for  them  as  the  Germans  had  to 


268    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

wait  before  the  walls  of  Paris,"  muttered 
the  Duke  of  Etropolis. 

"  But  we  can't  wait,"  said  the  King, 
"  we  Ve  got  to  get  into  Belgarde  before 
Russia  begins  to  move." 

"  Pooh  ?  "  said  Prince  Saranitza,  "  Rus- 
sia !  "  And  he  snapped  his  fingers. 

"  We  'd  be  in  a  beautiful  predicament 
if  you  had  your  way,"  said  Count  Vladina 
laughing  and  patting  Saranitza  on  the  arm. 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  King,  looking  at 
me,  "  you  will  have  something  to  tell  us 
by  morning." 

"  I  trust  so,"  I  replied  fervently.  "  My 
regiment  is  restless  and  anxious  to  come 
to  close  quarters,  but  what  can  we  do  if 
the  Boznovians  play  circus  tricks  on  us 
and  run  ?  " 

"It  is  most  mortifying  to  me,"  said 
the  Duke  of  Etropolis  ;  "  here  we  have 
marched  for  miles  through  an  admittedly 
hostile  country,  we  have  driven  in  the 
enemy's  out-posts,  we  have  occupied  vil- 
lages, we  have  bombarded  a  fortified 
plateau  for  hours,  and  finally,  we  have 
hurled  our  whole  army  against  it.  The 


An  Unexpected  Journey.      269 

result  is  that  not  one  drop  of  blood  has 
been  spilled,  not  one  prisoner  taken." 

11  Pardon,"  said  Saranitza,  "  the  bear — " 

I  rose,  deeply  offended,  and  begged  the 
King's  permission  to  withdraw. 

"It  was  an  ill-timed  pleasantry,  Prince 
Saranitza,"  said  the  King ;  and  the  Prince 
jumped  up  and  came  frankly  to  me  to 
ask  my  pardon.  I  granted  it  heartily,  for 
I  was  becoming  very  fond  of  the  hare- 
brained dragoon,  and  I  pressed  his  prof- 
fered hand  warmly,  ignoring  the  twinkle 
in  his  eyes. 

At  the  same  moment  King  Theobold 
of  Boznovia  entered  the  tent,  followed  by 
their  Graces  of  Taxil  and  Babu. 

"  The  cavalry  have  scoured  the  forest 
for  miles,"  said  King  Theobald,  returning 
the  greetings  of  the  company  ;  "Colonel 
Clisson  says  that  he  '11  stake  his  head  that 
there  is  not  a  Boznovian  soldier  in  this 
section  of  the  country." 

"Then  where  the  mischief  did  the 
troops  go — the  infantry  that  occupied  the 
plateau  before  we  opened  on  them  ?  "  de- 
manded the  Duke  of  Etropolis. 


270    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Our  advanced  posts  report  that  a 
heavy  column  of  the  enemy  passed 
through  Tchatal-Dagh,  retreating  toward 
Belgarde,"  said  Taxil,  who  had  just  been 
visiting  the  pickets  and  whose  uniform 
was  yellow  with  dust. 

"  Well,"  said  Saranitza  resignedly,  "  if 
this  is  the  sort  of  thing  they  are  going  to 
keep  up,  I  don't  see  much  fun  ahead 
unless  we  take  the  Black  Fortress  by  as- 
sault—" 

"  Be  quiet,"  said  King  Casimir,  "  you 
don't  know  what  you  're  saying.  For- 
tresses of  the  first  class  are  not  knocked 
over  like  card  houses." 

Saranitza  bowed  good  humoredly  and 
looked  askance  at  the  bear. 

Babu  chewed  an  Ispha  nut  and  stared 
at  the  company  with  his  great  round  eyes. 

"  Well  gentlemen,"  began  King  Casi- 
mir, rising,  when  a  sudden  commotion  at 
the  door  of  the  tent  arrested  his  atten- 
tion. An  officer  and  two  troopers  ap- 
peared, leading  a  man  dressed  in  the 
costume  of  a  Boznovian  peasant.  The 


An  Unexpected  Journey.      271 

troopers   were    hussars,    the   officer   was 
Clisson. 

"  At  last,"  said  Saranitza,  "  we  Ve  taken 
a  prisoner  I  do  believe  ! " 

I  had  to  laugh,  but  the  King  of  Cau- 
casia stepped  forward  frowning  and  mo- 
tioning Clisson  to  bring  the  fellow  in. 

"  We  caught  him,  your  Majesty,  in  the 
woods,  trying  to  steal  past  our  vedettes," 
said  Clisson. 

II  I  am  no  spy,"  said  the  man  coolly, 
"and  I  can  prove  it." 

"  Prove  it,"  said  the  King. 

"  I  will,  if  any  gentleman  will  conduct 
me  to  Colonel  Steen  of  the  Hussar- 
Guard." 

"  Oho  ! "  said  the  King  of  Caucasia, 
"  perhaps  you  bring  Colonel  Steen  certain 
information." 

The  man,  a  bearded  young  peasant, 
shut  his  lips  tightly  and  looked  at  the 
King. 

"  Speak,"  cried  King  Casimir. 

"  Then  bring  me  to  Colonel  Steen," 
replied  the  peasant  doggedly.  The  King 


272    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

nodded  to  me  and  I  stepped  forward  con- 
fronting the  fellow. 

He  surveyed  me  from  head  to  foot 
without  speaking. 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  I  am  Colonel  Steen 
of  the  Hussar-Guard." 

"  How  am  I  to  know,"  he  asked. 

"On  the  word  of  a  King,"  said  King 
Theobald  of  Boznovia  haughtily. 

The  man  glanced  at  the  King  and  then 
at  me. 

"  Come,"  said  I,  "  have  you  a  message 
for  me  ?  " 

Then  he  came  close  to  me  and  whis- 
pered in  my  ear ;  "  from  whom  do  you 
expect  a  message  ?  " 

"  From  my  promised  wife/'  I  said  sim- 
ply. 

"  Her  name?" 

"  I  do  not  know  it ;  I  call  her  Lina." 

"  Good,"  said  the  man  smiling,  and 
dropping  his  mask  of  caution,  "  now  listen 
and  then  tell  these  very  noble  officers 
whether  or  not  I  am  a  spy.  Your  prom- 
ised wife  who  is  a  domestic  in  the  service 
of  the  Princess  Sylvia  of  Marmora  bids 


An  Unexpected  Journey.      273 

you  know  that  my  message  is  genuine 
because  of  the  token  she  gave  to  you  in 
the  Tiflix  valley,"  and  he  pointed  to  the 
golden  image  of  Sainte-Catharine  glisten- 
ing on  my  tunic. 

I  turned  to  the  company  and  said  aloud  : 
"  This  man  is  no  spy ;  listen  to  what  he 
has  to  say."  Then  I  told  him  to  speak 
up  before  all  the  people  present ;  and  he 
did  so. 

"  I  am  sent  here,"  he  said,  "to  tell  you 
that  the  Boznovian  forces  are  in  full  re- 
treat and  have  this  night  re-entered  Bel- 
garde.  The  Black  Fortress  of  Tchenekoi 
is  not  heavily  garrisoned,  but  there  are 
mines  and  torpedoes  and  the  heaviest  guns 
north  of  Italy,  all  of  which  will  cause  you 
months  of  delay  unless  you  can  avoid  them. 
As  the  Black  Fortress  of  Tchenekoi  is 
the  key  to  Belgarde,  it  is  necessary  to  find 
some  one  who  understands  how  to  unlock 
the  door.  This  can  be  done.  The  per- 
son who  sends  me  here  and  who  is  known 
to  Colonel  Steen,  offers  to  show  you  her- 
self how  it  is  possible  to  safely  enter  the 
Black  Fortress." 


274    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

The  King  of  Caucasia  nodded  approval 
and  motioned  the  messenger  to  proceed. 

"  Your  Majesty,"  he  said,  "  this  secret 
was  not  entrusted  to  me.  It  is  only  from 
this  person's  lips  that  you  may  be  in- 
formed. Therefore  she  who  sends  me 
wishes  to  meet  you  to-night  at  eleven. 
Tchatal-Dagh  is  not  occupied  at  present 
by  the  Boznovian  army,  and  the  rendez- 
vous designated  is  the  Lion  fountain  in 
the  public  square.  I  will  be  there  to 
recognize  you  and  guide  you.  You  must 
come  secretly  and  without  heavy  escort, 
otherwise  the  alarm  would  spread,  the 
Boznovian  army  might  envelope  the  town, 
and  the  last  chance  to  learn  the  way  safely 
into  the  Black  Fortress  would  be  lost." 

The  King  looked  at  the  fellow  suspi- 
ciously for  a  moment ;  then,  turning  to 
me  ;  "  Do  you  vouch  for  this  man  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  I  said. 

"  And  I  also,"  said  King  Theobald,  "  if 
Colonel  Steen  does." 

I  thanked  King  Theobald  and  turned 
to  the  messenger  again. 

" Am  I  to  go?"  I  asked. 


An  Unexpected  Journey.      275 

"  The  secret  of  the  Black  Fortress  will 
not  be  disclosed  except  to  the  King  of 
Caucasia  and  to  yourself,  and  to  those 
whom  you  select  to  accompany  you,"  said 
the  man. 

"  Then  I  select  you,"  said  King  Casimir 
looking  at  the  King  of  Boznovia. 

The  implied  distrust  sent  a  faint  color 
into  King  Theobald's  cheeks,  but  he  drew 
himself  up  and  thanked  the  King  of  Cau- 
casia for  his  courtesy.  There  was  much 
of  nobility  in  his  carriage  and  face  and  I 
think  it  shamed  King  Casimir  for  he 
hastily  designated  Prince  Saranitza  and 
their  Graces  of  Taxil  and  Babu  as  his 
escort,  and  then  withdrew  to  consult  the 
Duke  of  Etropolis. 

"  At  eleven,"  I  said  to  the  messenger, 
giving  him  all  the  money  I  had  about  me  ; 
and  I  dismissed  him,  telling  Clisson  to 
escort  him  as  far  as  the  walls  of  Tchatal- 
Dagh. 

Generals  Bombwitz  and  Brimborio,  and 
Count  Vladina  joined  with  the  Duke  of 
Etropolis  in  trying  to  dissuade  us  from 
going,  but,  when  I  told  them  enough  of 


276    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

the  case  to  make  them  easier,  they  agreed 
that  it  was  a  rare  opportunity  and  was  in 
fact  a  miracle  of  good  fortune.  So  we 
sat  chatting  and  discussing  the  campaign 
and  the  chances  of  being  in  Belgarde  by 
dinner  time  to-morrow  :  and  we  were  all 
very  merry  over  our  mess,  drinking  to 
each  other  and  to  the  two  kingdoms ; 
and  also  we  drank  confusion  to  the  Rus- 
sian puppet,  who,  with  his  sister,  Witch 
Sylvia,  "tyrannized"  over  the  Boznovian 
people. 

One  by  one  the  regimental  officers  rose 
and  left ;  the  two  puffy  Generals  and  the 
keen-eyed  Duke  of  Etropolis  being  the 
last  to  retire,  and,  about  half  past  ten 
o'clock,  the  two  Monarchs,  Taxil,  Babu, 
Saranitza,  and  I,  called  for  our  horses. 

It  was  a  clear  star-lit  evening  when  we 
left  the  intrenchments,  escorted  by  a  pelo- 
ton  of  lancers,  and  trotted  away  down  the 
Ravno  road  toward  Tchatal-Dagh  ;  but, 
before  we  had  passed  our  extreme  out- 
posts, the  sky  suddenly  became  covered 
with  spotted  fleecy  clouds,  stretching  in 
layers  and  strata  from  horizon  to  horizon. 


An  Unexpected  Journey.      277 

As  we  entered  the  causeway  that  leads 
through  the  dismantled  crumbling  walls 
of  Tchatal-Dagh,  the  stars  had  all  disap- 
peared and  the  darkness  around  us  was 
only  lighted  by  a  few  wretched  lanterns 
swinging  from  the  straggling  houses  along 
the  street. 

Our  lancers,  who  had  galloped  on  ahead, 
now  returned  to  say  that  the  town  was 
deserted,  save  by  a  cowering  peasant  or 
two  ;  so  we  rode  on,  I  leading,  until  we 
came  to  a  long  dark  alley  through  which 
we  could  see  a  lantern  burning  above  the 
Lion  fountain  in  the  square.  One  or 
two  terrified  towns-people  came  to  their 
doors  at  the  sound  of  the  horses'  hoofs, 
but,  at  such  doors,  we  stationed  a  lancer, 
with  orders  to  prevent  egress  until  we 
returned.  The  two  Kings  rode  together, 
then  followed  their  Graces  of  Taxil  and 
Babu,  and  after  them,  much  against  his 
will,  trotted  Prince  Saranitza.  I  led  the 
cavalcade,  and  posted  the  last  lancer  of 
the  escort,  just  as  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
Lion  fountain. 

"  There    is    somebody    waiting    there 


278    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

under  that  lantern,"  said  King  Casimir, 
"do  you  see?" 

"I  see,"  I  answered,  "it  is  our  guide;" 
and  I  rode  up  to  him  and  hailed  him  in  a 
low  voice. 

Without  a  word  he  turned  and  walked 
swiftly  across  the  square  toward  a  house 
that  stood  alone  in  a  garden,  a  little  back 
from  the  street.  We  followed,  and  at  a 
motion  from  our  guide,  we  dismounted  at 
the  gate  and  entered  the  garden  single 
file,  leading  our  horses  around  to  the  rear 
of  the  house.  Here  I  saw  that  the  house 
faced  also  on  another  street,  completely 
cut  off  from  the  square  except  by  the 
footpath  through  the  garden. 

"  Leave  your  horses  with  me,"  said  the 
peasant ;  "  go  straight  to  the  door  and 
open  it,  Colonel  Steen." 

I  felt  my  way  carefully  through  the 
shrubbery  and  up  the  path  to  the  door. 
The  door  opened  before  I  could  touch  it 
and  a  lighted  lantern  swung  in  my  face. 

Dazzled  for  an  instant,  I  recoiled,  but 
a  voice  that  I  knew  called  to  me  to  enter, 
and  I  sprang  in  and  bent  my  lips  to  the 


An  Unexpected  Journey.      279 

most  beautiful  hand  in  the  world.  Then 
I  gazed  earnestly,  rapturously,  at  the 
hooded  face  before  me,  repeating,  "  Lina, 
Lina,"  while  the  two  Kings  and  the  others 
entered  without  ceremony  and  stood 
watching  me. 

"  Come,"  said  Lina  taking  my  hand  in 
hers,  and  we  stepped  into  a  square  room 
to  the  left,  where  some  candles  were  burn- 
ing brightly  on  a  table. 

For  a  moment,  as  the  others  brushed 
past  us  into  the  room,  we  stood  close 
together,  hand  in  hand.  With  a  sudden 
movement  of  tenderness  she  bent  and 
touched  the  gold  Sainte-Catharine  on  my 
breast,  then,  gently  disengaging  her  hand, 
she  drew  me  back  into  the  shadow  of  the 
hall-way,  put  both  arms  about  my  neck, 
and  raised  her  face  to  mine. 

Then  a  terrible  thing  occurred.  Out 
of  the  shadowy  corners  on  every  side 
sprang  scores  of  soldiers  ;  there  came  a 
startled  cry,  a  crash,  a  brief  struggle  from 
the  room  where  the  Kings  had  entered  ; 
I  heard  Saranitza  shout  and  I  heard  his 
cry  of  defiance  smothered  as  by  a  hand 


280    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

over  his  mouth.  And  all  the  time  I  was 
twisting  and  turning  and  struggling  to 
free  my  body  from  the  close  embrace  of 
the  girl  I  loved,  but  her  young  limbs 
wound  about  mine  like  steel  encased  in 
velvet,  and  in  another  instant  a  man  seized 
me  from  behind,  binding  ankles  and  elbows 
with  incredible  swiftness. 

And,  as  the  light  of  the  lantern  fell 
squarely  on  his  face,  I  saw  it  was  my 
peasant  messenger, — bereft  of  beard  and 
moustache, — and  a  sudden  recollection 
blazed  up  within  me  ; — ah  ! — I  knew  him 
now,  that  black-eyed  Russian  who  had 
dismounted  at  my  door  in  the  Tiflix  val- 
ley, and  who  accepted  a  glass  of  wine 
from  me  before  he  and  his  comrade  rode 
away  on  their  bicycles !  And  Lina ! 
There  she  stood,  looking  straight  into 
my  face  from  beneath  the  shadow  of  her 
hood  ;  and  I  opened  my  mouth  and  cursed 
her  treachery  which  had  cost  me  more  than 
my  life,  more  than  my  love, — my  honour. 

One  by  one  the  Boznovian  soldiers  led 
their  prisoners  from  the  room  beyond, 
— the  King  of  Caucasia,  the  King  of 


An  Unexpected  Journey.      281 

Boznovia,  and  the  two  Dukes.  Saranitza 
had  been  knocked  senseless  in  the  strug- 
gle, and  they  carried  him  out  between 
four  soldiers. 

I  heard  Lina  ask  where  the  droschskys 
were,  and  at  the  same  moment  the  sound 
of  wheels  from  the  back  street  came  dis- 
tinctly to  my  ears.  Two  soldiers  picked  me 
up  from  the  floor  and  carried  me,  strapped 
like  a  pappoose,  down  through  the  garden 
to  the  street.  A  droschsky  was  waiting  ; 
Lina  sprang  in,  I  was  placed  beside  her, 
and,  at  a  signal  from  the  Russian,  the 
vehicle  started  away  at  a  furious  pace. 

"Lina,"  said  I  at  last,  "you  are  a  spy 
and  you  have  done  your  duty  by  your 
Princess  and  your  country.  I  do  not 
speak  of  what  my  love  has  been  for  you, 
—more  than  life  itself  to  me,  but  now, 
that  you  have  done  your  duty  and  I  have 
lost  my  honour,  I  beg  you  to  let  me  die 
before  the  rifles  of  ten  Boznovian  sol- 
diers ;  for  never  again  can  I  look  the 
King,  or  any  man  in  the  face." 

"  The  Princess  will  decide,"  she  said  in 
a  strained  voice. 


282    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"That  devil,  Witch  Sylvia!"  I  cried 
fiercely. 

"The  Princess  Sylvia  of  Marmora!" 
said  Lina  with  cold  deliberation. 

Then  I  answered  very  humbly,  "  God 
keep  my  soul  from  meeting  yours  for  all 
time  to  come."  And,  as  we  sped  on 
through  the  night,  I  closed  my  eyes  and 
prayed  that  my  life  might  be  taken  quickly, 
for  my  torture  was  more  than  I  could  bear. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE    BLACK    FORTRESS. 

THE  cold  white  morning  light  fell  in 
a  pallid  bar  across  my  bed  as  I  sat 
up,  bewildered,  rubbing  my  hot  eyes. 
Then,  as  I  looked  from  the  iron-grilled 
windows  to  the  stone  floor,  I  understood, 
and  I  dropped  back  upon  the  bed.  One 
by  one  the  events  of  the  night  came  back 
to  me,  the  touch  of  those  soft  hands,  the 
kiss, -—then  the  foul  treachery,  the  clang 
of  arms  and  the  struggle, — ah  !  now  I  re- 
membered the  swift  journey,  the  lurching 
of  the  droschsky  and  the  galloping  horses  ; 
I  remembered  the  sudden  trample  of  an 
unseen  escort,  the  crack  of  the  long  lashed 
whip  as  we  clattered  into  a  stony  street 
and  whirled  on  and  on,  the  shrill  chal- 
lenges of  sentinels  ringing  in  my  ears. 
Could  I  doubt  where  they  were  taking 
283 


284    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

me?  "Pass!"  cried  a  Boznovian  sentry, 
and  "  Pass  ! "  echoed  the  guards  from  ram- 
part and  bastion,  and  we  dashed  on 
through  the  night  while  the  sombre  walls 
seemed  to  fly  past,  and  tower  and  battle- 
ment swam  in  a  grey  haze  against  the  pal- 
ing sky.  Silent,  motionless,  Lina  crouched 
beside  me,  never  by  word  or  gesture  be- 
traying consciousness  of  my  presence 
until  the  first  lantern  swung  from  the  forti- 
fications and  the  last  Boznovian  soldier 
greeted  us  with  a  deep  hail.  Then  she 
suddenly  sat  up  and  I  heard  her  thank 
God,  and  every  word  cut  me  like  a  knife- 
thrust.  Again,  after  we  had  passed  through 
a  long  stony  court,  faced  by  dim  walls, 
she  stooped  and  flung  her  mantle  across 
me  to  shield  me  from  the  damp.  But  I 
thrust  it  fiercely  aside  with  my  bound 
wrists.  For  a  moment  she  looked  at  me, 
seeming  to  hesitate,  then  she  whipped  out 
a  slender  blade,  swiftly  severed  the  rope 
that  held  my  wrists  and  ankles,  and  slowly 
returned  the  jewelled-hilted  knife  to  her 
girdle. 

"  Give  me  the  knife,"   I   said  at  last, 


The  Black  Fortress.  285 

"I  shall  never  again  ask  anything  from 
you." 

"Hush,"  she  said  in  that  strange  voice 
that  I  had  never  before  heard. 

I  listened  to  the  gallop  of  the  escort ; 
the  vehicle  lurched  and  shook.  I  leaned 
over  and  peered  into  the  twilight  of  the 
morning.  On  every  side  pressed  the  Boz- 
novian  cavalry,  grey  with  dust,  sabres 
shining  in  the  pallor  of  the  coming  dawn. 

"  Give  me  the  knife,"  I  repeated,  "  it  is 
as  honourable  a  death  as  to  die  like  Ma- 
jor Panitza.  Give  me  the  knife,  or  I  will 
throw  myself  under  the  hoofs  of  the 
escort ! " 

"  Hush,  you  don't  know  what  you  say," 
she  said  again,  and  at  the  same  moment 
a  heavy  voice  cried  "Halt!"  and  the 
droschsky  drew  up  before  a  massive  wall 
barred  with  iron. 

One  by  one  the  other  vehicles  drove 
by  and  I  saw  my  comrades  dismount  and 
pass  before  me,  heavily  guarded.  Last 
of  all  came  Prince  Saranitza,  borne  by 
four  soldiers,  but  whether  he  was  stunned 
or  whether  he  was  dead  I  did  not  know. 


286    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Then  a  cavalryman  touched  me  on  the 
arm  and  bade  me  follow  him.  Lina  had 
disappeared. 

And  now  I  was  lying  here  on  my  iron 
bed,  the  white  dawn  creeping  in  through 
the  barred  slit  in  the  wall,  my  heart  numb 
with  the  agony  of  grief  and  shame. 

Across  the  room — it  was  too  vast  to 
call  it  a  cell — lay  Prince  Saranitza  on  his 
bed  of  iron,  sleeping  peacefully.  Ah ! 
but  when  he  should  awake  what  words 
would  he  have  for  me — what  words  would 
he  find  to  express  his  horror  and  scorn 
of  what  he  must  believe  to  be  my  treach- 
ery ?  I  raised  my  head  and  looked  at 
him  with  feverish  eyes,  holding  my 
breath,  for  I  dreaded  the  awakening. 
He  lay  there  quite  peacefully,  his  blond 
clipped  curls  on  his  arm,  one  hand  half 
opened  on  his  breast.  He  was  so  young, 
so  boyish — I  could  not  believe  that  his 
fate  was  to  die  before  a  firing  platoon 
with  twelve  bullets  in  his  breast.  Then 
I  remembered  that  picture  I  had  seen  in 
Harper  s  Weekly,  the  death  of  Panitza. 

And  so,  after  all,  I  also  was  going  to 


The  Black  Fortress.          287 

die  with  my  back  to  a  stone  wall.  My 
breath  came  faster  and  a  sickly  chill  ran 
through  me.  And  yet,  if  death  might 
only  come  before  Saranitza  awoke  to 
turn  his  scornful  eyes  on  me  and  call  me 
traitor, — if  they  would  shoot  me  quickly 
so  that  at  last  it  would  be  over  and  I 
should  have  some  rest  from  the  shame 
and  the  gnawing  misery  in  my  breast,— 
then,  ah  then,  I  would  have  welcomed  it, 
and  I  believe  that  I  could  have  faced  the 
rifles  with  a  lighter  heart  than  I  had  ever 
faced  the  woman  I  loved. 

In  those  miserable  moments  as  I  lay 
there,  watching  Saranitza's  placid  breath- 
ing, I  thought  too  of  Marjory  Grey,  and 
I  realized  then  that  I  no  longer  loved  her, 
for,  if  I  had,  I  should  have  known  it  in 
that  moment. 

I  was,  as  yet,  not  able  to  understand 
that  I  had  lost  Lina  forever, — that  the 
woman  I  had  loved  had  proved  to  be  the 
lowest  of  human  creatures.  I  only  knew 
that  there  was  a  great  sorrow  bowing  me 
to  the  ground  with  its  weight,  that  all 
that  made  life  worth  living  was  gone,  and 


288    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

that  I  longed  for  the  rest  that  only  death 
could  bring. 

Suddenly  Prince  Saranitza  moved  in 
his  slumber,  opened  his  eyes,  and  hastily 
sat  up,  throwing  the  covers  from  his 
body. 

"  Hello  !  "  he  cried,  catching  sight  of 
me,  "  what  the  deuce  is  all  this,  Steen  ?  " 

"Don't  you  remember?"  I  stam- 
mered. 

"  Remember  ?  Ah — um — yes,  let  me 
see— oh  ! " 

I  saw  that  he  recollected  the  sudden 
surprise  in  the  house  in  Tchatal-Dagh. 

"  We  were  ambushed  and  captured,"  I 
said. 

He  nodded,  rubbing  his  head  with  his 
hand.  Then  looking  at  me  he  said : 
"  There  was  treachery,  was  there  not  ?  " 

"  There  was,"  I  replied,  "the  woman 
who  sent  me  the  message  was  a  spy  in 
the  Boznovian  service,  and  the  man  who 
brought  it  and  met  us  at  the  Lion  foun- 
tain in  Tchatal-Dagh  was  a  Russian 
secret  agent." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  Prince  rather  blankly, 


The  Black  Fortress.          289 

— "  I  believe  I  was  knocked  on  the  head, 
was  I  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  said. 

There  was  a  break  in  my  voice — the 
strain  was  severe, — and  the  Prince  no- 
ticed it.  He  looked  at  me  curiously, 
then  a  change  came  over  his  face,  and  he 
sprang  up  and  walked  straight  up  to  me. 

"  See  here,  old  fellow,"  he  said,  laying 
his  arm  lightly  on  my  shoulder,  "  don't 
think  for  one  instant  that  I  suspect  you. 
Heaven  knows  your  face  tells  your  story 
plainly  enough  for  all  the  world  to  read." 

It  was  so  sudden,  so  unexpected,  that 
it  completely  upset  me.  I  dropped  my 
face  in  my  hands  and  the  tears  dripped 
through  my  fingers  to  the  floor. 

"  Damn  it  all  !"  said  the  Frince,  quite 
as  much  upset  as  I  was, — "  you  did  n't 
think  that  we  would  imagine  anything  to 
your  discredit,  did  you  ?  Come,  buck  up, 
old  fellow  !  Why,  I  'd  trust  you  with  the 
woman  I  love,  as  far  as  your  honour  is  con- 
cerned,— but,"  he  added,  trying  to  laugh, 
"  not  as  far  as  your  military  knowledge 

is  concerned/' 

19 


290    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

I  raised  my  head  and  looked  at  him, 
smiling,  and  brushing  my  eyes  on  my 
sleeve. 

"  You  're  no  diplomat,"  he  said,  "  now 
are  you  ?  " 

"  I  'm  nothing  of  any  consequence,"  I 
replied,  "  I  'm  no  soldier, — I  'm  simply  an 
every-day  fool." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Saranitza,  pulling  on 
his  spurred  boots  and  walking  over  to 
the  iron  wash-basin  ;  "  you  did  your  best, 
as  we  all  did.  We  were  simply  outwitted 
and  here  we  are.  I  suppose  the  two 
Kings  and  the  Dukes  were  taken  ?" 

"Yes,"  I  said  sadly,  "what  can  they  be 
thinking  of  me  ?  " 

"They'll  think  as  I  do  or  I'll  know 
the  reason  why,"  blurted  out  the  Prince. 

"  I  'm  afraid  we  none  of  us  will  have 
very  long  to  think  on  this  earth,"  I  said 
sadly. 

The  Prince  looked  around  at  me,  the 
water  streaming  from  hair  and  face. 

"  You  think  they  will  shoot  us  ? "  he 
asked. 

"  I    suppose    there    is   little    doubt    of 


The  Black  Fortress.          291 

King  Theobald's  fate  and  the  fate  re- 
served for  Taxil  and  Babu  and  myself," 
I  answered.  "  I  don't  see,  however,  why 
they  should  not  treat  you  and  King  Casi- 
mir  in  a  civilized  manner.  You  are  not 
Boznovians  who  have  risen  in  revolt." 

"  I  'm  not  a  Caucasian  either,"  said 
Prince  Saranitza,  "  I  'm  an  Austrian  and 
stand  the  same  chance  that  you,  who  are 
an  American,  do." 

"  But,"  I  said  curiously,  "  I  thought 
you  were  a  Caucasian  Prince, — you  hold 
a  commission  in  the  Caucasian  army." 

"Just  for  fun,  that's  all.  I  lived  in 
Vienna  but  I  resigned  a  lieutenancy  in 
the  Guards  to  accept  a  colonelcy  in  the 
Caucasian  army.  As  soon  as  I  was  made 
general, — and  the  King  promised  me  my 
epaulettes  for  next  New  Year's, — I  was 
going  back  to  Austria  to  marry  on  a 
decent  salary." 

I  looked  at  the  young  fellow  in  deep  pity. 

"Yes,  that's  why  I  left  Vienna.  I 
wanted  to  be  able  to  support  a  wife  as 
you  Americans  look  at  it.  I  could  have 
married  last  year  had  I  chosen  to  stand 


292    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

in  the  position  of  a  poor  Prince  marry- 
ing a  rich  American  girl." 

"  An  American  !  "  I  cried. 

"Yes,"  he  said  laughing,  "  and  perhaps 
that 's  the  reason  I  have  taken  so  to  you." 

He  came  toward  me,  rubbing  his  head 
with  the  coarse  prison  towel. 

"  I  wonder  whether  you  know  her,"  he 
said  ;  "I  met  her  at  a  ball  given  in  Paris 
last  winter.  It  was  simply  to  see  her  to 
yield  to  the  enchantment  of  her  beauty. 
I  hardly  dared  ask  to  be  presented  ; — I 
can  scarcely  realize  yet  that  she  has 
promised  to  wait  for  me." 

"You  will  see  her  again,"  I  said  in  a 
low  voice  ;  "  a  regular  officer,  Austrian 
or  Caucasian,  will  certainly  be  treated  as 
a  prisoner  of  war  and  not  as  a  revolu- 
tionist." 

"  Qui  sait  ?  "  said  the  Prince  soberly. 

We  found  soap  and  towels  enough  to 
satisfy  anybody  and  an  abundance  of 
cold  water  in  the  iron  sink.  The  Prince 
had  a  pocket  comb  and  we  succeeded  in 
arranging  each  other's  hair,  for  there  was 
no  mirror  in  the  room. 


The  Black  Fortress.          293 

It  was  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  by 
my  watch  when  a  soldier  appeared  and 
told  us  to  follow  him.  We  passed  out 
of  the  massive  door-way  and  entered  a 
long  dimly  lighted  passage.  At  the  end 
of  this  passage  we  found  a  room,  com- 
fortably upholstered,  in  the  middle  of 
which  stood  a  breakfast  table  with  seats 
arranged  for  six  people.  Military  ser- 
vants stood  silently  behind  each  chair, 
and,  as  we  entered,  from  an  opposite 
door  emerged  the  King  of  Caucasia,  and 
the  Ex-King  of  Boznovia,  followed  by 
their  anxious  Graces  of  Taxil  and  Babu. 

When  the  King  of  Caucasia  saw  me 
he  frowned  and  whispered  something  to 
King  Theobald,  but  the  latter  smiled  and 
shook  his  head,  greeting  me  at  the  same 
time  very  cordially. 

When  the  two  Monarchs  were  seated, 
we  took  our  places  as  designated  by  the 
King  of  Caucasia. 

The  breakfast  was  well  cooked  and  well 
served,  but  I  could  not  eat  and  did  not 
even  pretend  to  try  until  Saranitza  urged 
me.  Both  King  Theobald  and  Prince 


294    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Saranitza  were  very  kind,  saying  every- 
thing possible  to  put  me  at  my  ease,  and 
at  last  I  could  see  that  even  the  King  of 
Caucasia  no  longer  believed  me  guilty  of 
the  horrible  treachery  that  had  made  us 
all  prisoners  of  the  new  Boznovian  King 
and  his  crafty  sister,  the  Princess  Sylvia. 

As  for  Taxil  and  Babu,  they  were  very 
mournful,  for  they  suspected  what  their 
fate  was  to  be  ;  still  they  managed  to  eat 
a  fair  breakfast,  especially  Babu,  whose 
inordinate  use  of  the  Ispha  nut  gave  him 
an  appetite  that  not  even  the  fear  of  ap- 
proaching dissolution  could  dull  or  dis- 
courage. Taxil  also  bore  up  more  bravely 
than  I  might  have  suspected,  and  I  do 
believe  that  grief  for  his  exploded  railroad 
scheme  had  as  much  to  do  with  his  un- 
happiness  as  did  the  suspicion  of  impend- 
ing execution. 

King  Theobald  bore  himself  like  a  true 
King,  cheerfully  and  gallantly.  He 
thanked  us  all  for  having  aided  him  and 
said  that  he  alone  was  responsible  for  the 
revolution.  He  neither  blamed  me  for 
having  counselled  him  badly  nor  did  he 


The  Black  Fortress.          295 

even  refer  to  his  miserable  aunt,  the  Dowa- 
ger Duchess  von  Schwiggle  who,  after  all, 
was  the  root  of  the  whole  evil. 

This  comforted  me  greatly  for  it  seemed 
easier  to  die  for  a  gallant  monarch  than 
to  be  shot  to  death  on  account  of  a  royal 
buffoon. 

King  Casimir  said  little,  and  what  he 
did  say  was  not  in  the  choicest  of  lan- 
guage, for  he  could  not  forget  that  he  had 
been  outwitted  by  a  woman,  and  he  took 
it  hard. 

"  I  should  think,"  observed  Saranitza, 
"  that  your  Majesty  would  consider  it  an 
honour  to  be  conquered  by  so  beautiful  a 
princess  as  the  Princess  Sylvia  of  Marmora 
is  said  to  be." 

"  The  devil  fly  away  with  the  Princess 
Sylvia  of  Marmora,"  cried  King  Casimir. 

At  a  sign  from  King  Theobald  the  mili- 
tary servants  withdrew,  leaving  us  alone 
in  the  great  comfortable  room. 

"  I  suppose  we  are  in  that  cursed  Black 
Fortress,"  observed  King  Casimir  grimly. 

"  I  suppose  so, — the  Black  Fortress  of 
Tchenekoi,"  replied  Prince  Saranitza  with 


296    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

a  careless  glance  around  the  room,  "  I 
wonder  what  our  army  will  do  ?  " 

We  all  sat  silently  staring  at  the  table. 

"  It  will  take  them  some  time  to  get 
siege  guns  in  position,"  ventured  Taxil. 

"  Time  enough  for  these  Boznovians  to 
play  the  mischief  with  us,"  said  King 
Casimir.  "  The  game  's  up,  that 's  certain, 
for  Russia  won't  stand  this  row, — no,  not 
another  week." 

"It's  been  a  very  bloodless  war,"  ob- 
served Saranitza  ;  "  I  'm  not  aware  of  any 
damage  done  except  a  crack  I  got  on  the 
head  last  night." 

"  The  whole  thing  is  ridiculous  ! "  fumed 
King  Casimir,  "we  shall  be  the  laugh- 
ing stock  of  Europe  for  this  campaign  ! 
And  all  on  account  of  Witch  Sylvia  ! 
Oh,  it  makes  me  hot  and  cold  when  I 
think  of  it — " 

A  door  was  suddenly  flung  open  and  a 
tall  wiry  young  man  in  the  uniform  of  the 
Boznovian  Life-Guards  appeared.  For  a 
second  he  paused  on  the  threshold,  then 
walked  swiftly  toward  the  table  and  sat 
down,  facing  us.  The  door  at  the  end  of 


The  Black  Fortress.          297 

the  room  swung  to  with  a  crash  and  the 
echoes  struck  sharply  in  the  silent  room. 

"  I  am  the  King  of  Boznovia,"  he  said 
abruptly,  "and  I  have  come  here  in  behalf 
of  my  sister,  the  Princess  Sylvia  of  Mar- 
mora, to  announce  to  you  the  judgment 
passed  last  night." 

He  stood  up,  looked  at  King  Theobald, 
took  a  dozen  nervous  strides  up  and  down 
the  room,  and  came  back. 

"  The  judgment  pronounced  by  the 
court-martial  is  death  !  "  he  said  ;  "  and  I, 
Rupert  of  Boznovia,  approve  ! " 

King  Theobald  passed  his  hand  over 
his  forehead  slowly. 

"We  are  to  be  executed?"  he  asked 
gravely. 

"  I  did  not  say  so,"  said  Rupert  of 
Boznovia  casting  a  keen  glance  at  me  ; 
"  I  said  that  the  court-martial  has  pro- 
nounced the  death  sentence." 

Then  he  sat  down  again,  his  silver 
cuirass  ringing,  his  sabre  clashing  softly 
on  the  eastern  rugs  that  covered  the  stone 
floor. 

A   minute    of  perfect    silence   ensued. 


298    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Taxil  drank  a  glass  of  water  mechanically 
and  Saranitza  twisted  his  blond  moustache. 
"  Listen  !  "  said  Rupert  of  Boznovia, 
fixing  his  grey  eyes  on  King  Theobald, 
"  the  court  has  condemned  you  to  be  shot 
to-morrow  at  sunrise  in  the  presence  of 
the  garrison  of  this  fortress  and  of  the 
city  of  Belgarde.  It  is  a  just  verdict ! — I 
say  it  is  a  just  verdict ! "  he  repeated  with 
a  passionate  gesture.  "Is  his  Grace  of 
Taxil  better  than  Major  Panitza  who  was 
shot  for  less  ?  Is  his  Grace  of  Babu  less 
culpable  ?  And  you,  Theobald  of  Taxim- 
bourg,  driven  from  this  capital  of  Bel- 
garde  by  your  own  people,  are  you,  who 
return  at  the  head  of  a  Caucasian  army  to 
ravage  with  fire  and  sword, — are  you  less 
guilty  than  was  Stambouloff  ?  What 
treason  is  this  that  I,  Rupert  of  Boznovia 
and  Marmora,  should  endure  it  ?  Am  I 
to  submit  to  invasion  and  insult  ?  My 
trust  is  held  by  grace  of  God  and  the  Czar  ; 
and  the  Boznovian  people  have  put  their 
trust  in  me!"  He  sprang  from  his  chair 
again  and  paced  the  room  restlessly.  I  saw 
the  King's  mouth  tighten  under  his  beard 


The  Black  Fortress.          299 

and  I  saw  Prince  Saranitza,  cool  and  un- 
ruffled, twisting  his  blond  moustache. 

King  Rupert  of  Boznovia  was  still 
pacing  the  room,  his  white-gloved  hands 
clasped  behind  him,  his  silver  sabre  bang- 
ing at  every  stride.  Presently  he  turned 
sharply  in  his  tracks  and  made  a  menacing 
gesture  toward  us. 

"You  who  come  to  drive  me  out,"  he 
cried,  "  you  who  come  with  hired  armies, 
— troops  to  whom  you  promise  the  sack- 
ing of  my  city  of  Belgarde— 

"  Pardon,"  said  King  Theobald  quietly, 
"you  have  been  misinformed." 

"  Did  you  not  promise  it  !  "  cried  Ru- 
pert angrily. 

"  No,"  said  King  Theobald. 

There  was  something  in  his  tone  that 
comforted  us  all  I  think, — us  who  were 
about  to  die  for  his  cause. 

King  Rupert  came  nearer. 

"What  was  the  price  then?"  he  de- 
manded harshly. 

King  Theobald  turned  to  the  King  of 
Caucasia. 

"  Am  I  at  liberty  to  satisfy  this  young 


300    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

man  ? "  he  asked  coolly.  King  Casimir 
nodded.  There  was  an  evil  gleam  in  his 
eyes.  Then  Theobald  of  Taximbourg 
stood  up  and  faced  the  young  King  of 
Boznovia. 

"  I  will  answer  your  question,"  he  said 
pleasantly,  "  I  promised  that  Caucasia 
should  have  free  passage  for  her  ships 
into  the  Balkan  Sea.  And  now  I  wish 
to  say  a  little  more.  I  alone  am  to  blame, 
— I  alone  am  guilty  and  worthy  of  the 
penalty  that  your  honourable  court  has 
fixed  upon.  It  was  I  who  stirred  up  the 
revolt,  it  was  I  who  persuaded  the  Duke 
of  Taxil  and  the  Duke  of  Babu  to  join 
me.  I  alone  sought  out  his  Majesty  King 
Casimir  and  I  persuaded  him  and  his  offi- 
cers. That  I  have  been  a  bad  King,  and 
an  incompetent  one,  that  I  have  cared 
nothing  for  power,  or  for  the  country  of 
Boznovia,  that  I  have  been  weak  and  in- 
capable, is  not  for  me  to  confess  to  you 
but  to  God — before  I  die.  Your  honour- 
able court-martial  has  decided  and  I  doubt 
not  that  the  people  of  Boznovia  will  up- 
hold you  and  applaud  the  sentence.  Then 


The  Black  Fortress.          301 

let  it  be  carried  out, — but  on  me  alone, 
for  these  gentlemen  who  so  gallantly  cast 
their  fortunes  with  me  do  not  deserve 
death,  and  you  will  find,  Rupert  of  Mar- 
mora, that  they  will  serve  Boznovia, 
under  you  as  faithfully  as  they  would 
have  served  her  under  me.  I  ask  that 
the  sentence  of  the  court  be  carried  out 
on  me  at  once." 

In  an  instant  we  were  all  on  our  feet, 
crying  out,  gesticulating,  crowding  before 
King  Theobald. 

"  Listen,  King  Rupert,"  I  shouted  in 
the  babel  of  voices,  "  I  was  chief  con- 
spirator, I  drove  his  Majesty  to  this  war, 
I  alone  am  to  blame." 

"Who  are  you  ?"  said  Rupert  haugh- 
tily,— "  an  American  ?" 

"I  am  that  American  who  set  a  hun- 
dred thousand  men  marching  on  your  city 
of  Belgarde  !  "  I  cried,  meeting  his  glance 
with  a  glance  as  steady  and  proud. 

"Silence!"  cried  Saranitza,  "if  his 
Majesty,  King  Theobald  is  to  die,  we  who 
fought  for  him  demand  a  place  by  his 
side!" 


302    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  The  King  is  not  to  die  ! "  I  said 
loudly,  "  I  am  the  root  of  this  conspiracy 
and  when  the  root  is  killed  what  need  to 
fear  ?  If  Russia  will  allow  King  Theo- 
bald to  live  in  peace  in  his  own  country 
of  Taximbourg,  he  will  never  think  of 
Boznovia  again." 

As  we  stood,  pressing  before  Rupert  of 
Boznovia,  the  light  from  the  barred  win- 
dows streaming  over  our  faces  and  bril- 
liant uniforms,  somewhere  far  on  the 
bastions  a  great  gun  crashed  and  the 
deep  echoes  reverberated  through  the 
prison. 

"  Do  you  hear  ? "  cried  Rupert  furi- 
ously," "  that  cannon-shot  means  that 
your  army  is  before  Belgarde  !  Shame 
on  you,  Theobald  of  Taximbourg  ! — and 
shame  on  you,  Casimir  of  Caucasia  !— 
you  who  bring  death  and  destruction  to  a 
peaceful  nation !  I  tell  you  that  your 
sentence  is  just  and  I,  Rupert  of  Bosno- 
via,  approve." 

He  drew  himself  up,  very  pale.  I  saw 
my  own  face,  distorted,  reflected  in  his 
polished  cuirass.  Then  his  voice  changed : 


The  Black  Fortress.          303 

he  touched  the  hilt  of  his  sabre  in  a  hesi- 
tating manner  looking  from  one  to  the 
other  of  us. 

"  The  sentence  of  the  court-martial  will 
not  stand,"  he  said  at  last,  "  because  of 
my  sister's  wish.  Her  Royal  Highness, 
the  Princess  Sylvia  of  Marmora,  has  de- 
cided that  your  fate  shall  lie  with  your- 
selves. I  do  not  seek  for  vengeance  :  ven- 
geance is  beneath  me.  As  for  justice — 
God  alone  may  deal  it  out — I  dare  not 
attempt  it.  What  I  have  a  right  to  de- 
mand is  the  safety  of  my  people  and  the 
safety  of  my  family  and  myself.  And  to 
that  end,  I,  deferring  to  the  wish  of  my 
sister  the  Princess  Sylvia,  do  hereby  offer 
to  you  your  freedom  on  these  conditions." 

He  paused,  looking  from  one  to  the 
other,  fingering  his  twisted  sabre  hilt. 
Then  he  went  on  : 

"  Casimir  of  Caucasia,  go  to  your 
troops  and  lead  them  back  to  Bazoum. 
And  that  you  may  not  stand  ashamed  in 
the  face  of  all  Christendom  I  will  concede 
to  you  the  free  passage  into  the  Balkan 
Sea.  If  you  have  any  officer  here  at- 


304    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

tached  to  your  person  or  your  army,  take 
him  with  you, — go,  and  let  us  live  in 
peace." 

He  turned  to  King  Theobald  : 
"Give  me  your  word  as  a  man  that 
never  again  will  you  by  force  seek  to  re- 
enter  Bosnovia,  then  go  in  peace  to  your 
own  country  of  Taximbourg  where  neither 
Czar  nor  King  shall  ever  trouble  you. 
My  sister,  the  Princess  Sylvia,  will  pledge 
her  word  for  yours  ;  and  the  Czar  listens 
when  she  speaks.  Take  with  you  the 
Duke  of  Taxil  and  the  Duke  of  Babu.  I 
freely  grant  the  Duke  of  Taxil  his  railway 
from  his  mines  to  my  capital  of  Belgarde. 
It  will  be  good  for  all  concerned." 

Then  King  Theobald  stepped  forward 
and  thanked  King  Rupert  very  simply, 
and  the  King  of  Caucasia,  pale  with  joy 
at  the  thought  that  his  two  torpedo  boats 
might  cruize  about  the  Balkan  Sea,  stam- 
mered his  thanks,  and  Taxil,  overjoyed, 
wept  a  little  and  swore  that,  mines  or  no 
mines,  he  would  never  enter  Boznovia 
again  but  would  cheerfully  cultivate  maize 
and  vineyards  and  domestic  virtues  in  the 


The  Black  Fortress.          305 

Duchy  of  Taxil  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Babu  said  nothing  but  he  looked  very 
grateful  and  chewed  an  Ispha  nut. 

"  Hark  ! "  cried  Rupert  as  another  heavy 
explosion  shook  the  room  and  set  the 
glassware  tinkling  on  the  table,  "that  is 
the  second  gun  and  your  army  has  ad- 
vanced to  the  extreme  limits  of  Tchatal- 
Dagh.  Go  and  withdraw  your  troops  ; 
let  us  live  peacefully,  King  Casimir,  and 
remember  that  my  ports  and  cities  are 
open  to  your  trade.  Theobald  of  Taxim- 
bourg,  I  send  you  a  suitable  escort  as  I 
do  for  King  Casimir." 

With  a  sudden  gesture,  not  unfriendly, 
and  entirely  courteous,  Rupert  of  Bozno- 
via  turned  and  passed  swiftly  out  by  the 
door  through  which  he  had  entered.  A 
moment  later  an  escort  of  Boznovian  Life- 
Guards  tramped  into  the  room  and  halted, 
sabres  at  salute,  helmets  and  cuirasses 
glittering  like  mirrors. 

One  by  one  we  passed  out  between  the 
motionless  lines,  touching  our  caps  in 
salute,  and  behind  us  I  could  hear  the 
rhythmic  tread  of  the  Guards,  closing  up 


306    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

in  the  rear.  The  others  had  already 
passed  the  gateway  below,  and  I  also  was 
about  to  step  into  the  court-yard  when  a 
touch  on  my  elbow  detained  me,  and  I 
turned  and  saw  a  man  standing  at  my 
side.  I  recognized  him  instantly  as  the 
Russian  spy  who  had  brought  me  the 
false  information  from  Lina, — the  same 
man  who  had  dismounted  at  my  gate 
from  his  bicycle. 

"  What  do  you  wish  ?  "  I  asked,  coldly. 

"  Pardon,  Excelenz,  but  you  are  not 
liberated  with  the  others." 

"I  am  held  as  a  prisoner?"  I  asked, 
quietly. 

"  Yes, — for  the  present.  Do  not  be 
alarmed,  Excelenz ;  doubtless  freedom 
will  come  in  time." 

"  Very  well ! "  said  I,  for  I  was  so  mis- 
erable that  I  really  did  not  care  what  be- 
came of  me. 

I  followed  the  fellow  back  along  the 
passage,  musing  bitterly  on  my  ruined 
hopes,  too  wretched  and  heart-sick  to 
even  notice  where  I  was  going.  After  a 
while  I  found  myself  in  a  little  court,  sur- 


The  Black  Fortress.          307 

rounded  on  all  sides  by  the  massive  black 
walls  of  the  fortress. 

"  Here  is  where  prisoners  are  shot,  Ex- 
celenz,"  observed  the  man. 

I  looked  at  the  blank  wall  indifferently, 
and  we  passed  on  to  a  gateway  which  was 
guarded  by  a  sentinel.  Emerging  from 
this,  I  found  myself  outside  the  exterior 
ramparts  of  the  huge  fortress,  standing  in 
a  quiet  shady  lane,  in  which  a  droschsky 
was  waiting. 

"  Enter,  Excelenz ! "  murmured  the 
man. 

I  stepped  in  without  hesitation  ;  but, 
before  the  fellow  could  signal  the  driver 
to  move,  I  stretched  out  my  hand,  and 
pointed  at  him,  trembling. 

"  Tell  your  fellow  spy  that  she  was  nbt 
merciful  when  she  withheld  the  knife  !  "  I 
cried,  and  sank  back  in  the  cushions, 
shaking  from  head  to  foot. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

WITCH    SYLVIA. 

WHETHER  the  drive  was  long  or 
short  I  did  not  know,  but  when 
at  last  the  droschsky  stopped,  and  a  step 
sounded  on  the  gravel  beside  the  wheels, 
I  unclosed  my  eyes  and  raised  my  head. 
A  liveried  servant  stood  bowing  and  fawn- 
ing by  the  carriage  step,  evidently  waiting 
for  me  to  descend.  I  did  so  listlessly,  and 
looked  around.  Before  me  lay  a  garden, 
bright  with  flowers  and  sun-warmed  turf, 
high  walled  with  fragrant  hedges.  Among 
the  blossoming  trees  and  shrubs  I  could 
see  the  grey  stone  fagade  of  a  house,  set 
back  on  the  smoothly  shaven  lawn. 

"  Am  I  to  go  in  ?"  I  asked. 

The  servant  bowed  again,  and  asked 
leave  to  precede  me.  I  followed,  glanc- 
ing right  and  left,  my  sabre,  which  had 


Witch  Sylvia.  309 

been  restored  to  me,  trailing  on  the  gravel 
walk,  my  sabre-tache  swinging  with  every 
step.  The  flunky  held  the  gate  open, 
and  I  entered  and  followed  him  across 
the  inner  garden  to  the  broad  stone  steps 
of  the  house. 

Before  I  entered  I  looked  with  sudden 
suspicion  at  the  servant,  and  asked  him 
why  I  had  been  sent  there.  He  replied 
very  humbly  that  he  did  n't  know,  but 
that  the  house  was  ready  for  me,  and  he 
would  pilot  me  to  my  own  room. 

"  Do  you  know  my  name  ?  "   I  asked. 

He  said  that  he  did  if  I  wished  him  to 
know  it.  His  obsequiousness  disgusted 
me,  but,  on  second  thoughts,  I  was  not 
alarmed,  because,  I  reflected,  that  if  the 
Boznovian  government  wished  to  get  rid 
of  me  it  had  had  plenty  of  opportunity 
when  I  was  in  the  Black  Fortress.  Still 
I  had  heard  of  traps,  and  assassinations 
are  not  uncommon  in  the  Balkan  States. 

The  room  he  led  me  to  was  a  cheerful, 
sunny  chamber  on  the  ground  floor,  look- 
ing out  upon  the  garden.  Across  the 
hallway  I  could  see  a  dining-room  with 


310    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

table  set  for  two,  and  I  asked  him  whether 
there  was  anybody  else  in  the  house. 
He  replied  that  there  was  nobody  there 
except  myself  and  one  servant 

"  You  are  the  servant  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes  Excelenz." 

"  You  are  ordered  to  do  my  bidding  ?  " 

"If  Excelenz  permits." 

"Then  I  bid  you  tell  me  where  I  am." 

The  servant  was  silent. 

"Never  mind  then,"  I  said,  "but  I 
should  like  to  know  why  the  table  is  pre- 
pared for  two." 

"Excelenz  expects  a  guest  ?"  asked  the 
servant  respectfully. 

"Confound  it,  that 's  what  I  want  to 
know,"  I  said. 

"  If  Excelenz  permits,"  said  this  most 
extraordinary  servant,  "  I  will  prepare  the 
bath." 

I  was  very  glad  of  that  and  I  told  him 
to  do  so  at  once.  In  a  few  minutes  he 
returned,  and  showed  me  through  my  bed- 
room into  a  spacious  bath-room  where 
a  marble  basin,  sunk  into  the  tiled 
floor,  lay  full  of  deliciously  tepid  water. 


Witch  Sylvia.  311 

Everything  was  there  in  place—soap, 
towels,  bath-robe,  and,  to  my  surprise, 
fresh  underwear  and  linen.  He  took  my 
uniform  and  boots  away,  shutting  the 
door  softly  behind,  and,  without  more 
ado,  I  stripped  and  plunged  in.  It  was 
delicious  after  the  hot,  dusty  days  passed 
on  the  march.  I  splashed  about,  wonder- 
ing whether  I  was  to  be  assassinated  like 
Marat  in  his  bath,  and  not  caring  much 
anyway,  provided  my  Charlotte  Corday 
did  her  work  well.  For  I  was  very  miser- 
able and  tired  of  life,  and  when  I  drew  on 
my  bath-robe  and  the  servant  came  to 
shave  me,  I  felt  that  I  had  no  right  to 
enjoy  the  cool  lather  and  grateful  razor. 

At  last  I  was  dressed  again,  my  boots 
spotless,  my  uniform  brushed  and  pressed. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  now  ?  "  I 
said,  eyeing  the  servant. 

"If  Excelenz  permits  I  will  retire  to 
prepare  dinner.  Luncheon  is  served  in 
the  garden." 

"  I  want  no  luncheon,"  I  replied,  and 
walked  out  into  the  garden. 

Everywhere  the  roses  were  in  full  bloom 


312    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

and  their  scent  troubled  me,  for  I  remem- 
bered my  own  rose  garden  in  the  Tiflix 
valley  where  I  had  first  seen  Lina.  At 
the  thought  my  face  hardened  and  I  flung 
myself  into  a  rustic  bench,  clenching  my 
hands.  Faugh  !  A  maid, — a  servant 
with  a  servant's  code  of  honour.  What 
else  could  a  man  expect  ?  Of  course  I 
had  lowered  myself  and  had  been  bar- 
tered, sold,  duped,  and  tricked !  Was 
it  for  pay, — for  the  recompense  that  a 
hired  spy  receives?  Was  it  for  love  of 
country, — a  real  patriotism  ?  It  might 
have  been  the  latter, — I  trusted  for  my 
own  pride's  sake  that  it  was.  Oh,  she 
had  worked  it  cleverly,  taking  service 
with  the  Dowager  Duchess  von  Schwig- 
gle,  duping  and  flouting  the  Duchess  and 
her  schemes  under  her  Grace's  own  Teu- 
tonic nose.  Then  also  when  the  bicyclists 
came,  she  had  appeared,  pretending  that 
she  had  not  known  anybody  was  there. 
What  signals  had  she  exchanged  with 
them  while  I,  innocent  as  a  lamb,  im- 
agined I  was  craftier  than  Machiaveli 
when  I  introduced  her  as  my  wife.  Now 


Witch  Sylvia.  313 

I  caught  the  full  significance  of  her  sar- 
castic compliment  to  me  on  my  cleverness. 
And  the  Russian  who  had  been  treed  by 
the  bear ;  he  doubtless  was  in  constant 
communication  with  her.  I  ground  my 
teeth  as  I  thought  of  the  whole  miserable 
business — of  that  blow  in  the  face  that 
she  had  given  me  and  my  swift  infatuation 
and  declaration. 

And  as  I  lay  there  musing,  I  remem- 
bered the  walk  in  the  woods  and  the 
bouquet  of  orange  and  white  orchids  that 
I  had  slipped  into  her  belt.  And  I  re- 
membered her  arms  about  my  neck  and 
her  lips'  swift  touch  on  mine  ;  and  I  felt 
the  breath  of  the  star-lit  evening  when  we 
sat  together  in  the  meadow  watching  for 
signals,  while  the  crickets  sang  and  the 
scented  breezes  stirred  the  grasses. — 

"  Excelenz,  pardon." 

I  started  up,  brushing  the  sudden  mist 
from  my  eyes. 

"  What  is  it,"  I  asked  sharply. 

"  Pardon,  it  is  already  five  o'clock." 

"  Impossible  !  "  I  said,  "  I  have  n't 
been  asleep." 


3H    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

I  looked  at  my  watch.  It  was  exactly 
five.  I  had  been  brooding  there  in  the 
sunshine  for  four  whole  hours. 

"Well,"  said  I,  "what  of  it?  I  shall 
not  dine  until  six." 

"  Pardon,  Excelenz,  I  am  permitted  to 
announce  that  her  Royal  Highness  the 
Princess  Sylvia  of  Marmora  will  honour 
Excelenz  with  her  presence  at  dinner,  at 
half  past  six." 

I  was  too  astonished  to  answer,  and 
waiting  a  moment,  the  servant  bowed  him- 
self away. 

"The  devil!"  thought  I  to  myself, 
"  am  I  to  dine  with  Witch  Sylvia  ?  Lord 
defend  us,  what  mischief  is  coming  now  ?  " 

More  agitated  than  I  imagined  I  could 
have  been  by  any  announcement,  I  walked 
nervously  up  and  down  the  gravel  path, 
brushing  the  roses  with  my  sleeves  as  I 
passed,  chewing  a  leaf  stem  and  pondering. 
What  could  Witch  Sylvia  want  of  me  ? 
Was  this  another  of  her  madcap  adven- 
tures ?  Probably  she  was  coming  to 
pump  me  about  the  Duchess  or  possibly 
to  satisfy  a  curiosity  concerning  the  per- 


Witch  Sylvia. 

sonal  appearance  of  a  man  who  had  stir- 
red two  Kings  and  a  few  Dukes  to  war. 
What  was  she  like  ?  People  said  that  she 
was  very  beautiful.  I  remembered  that 
when  Lina  described  her  to  me  and  spoke 
of  her  blue  eyes  and  black  hair,  I  had  said 
that  I  preferred  Lina's  golden  hair  and 
violet  eyes.  Ah  !  that  was  ended  forever, 
— ended  in  shame  and  disgrace. 

A  sound  of  hoofs  from  the  road  startled 
me  and  I  turned  towards  the  hedge.  A 
single  rider  was  advancing  at  a  gallop 
along  the  highway, — a  woman  mounted 
upon  a  strong  black  horse.  I  saw  the 
lithe  figure  outlined  against  the  sky,  I  saw 
the  horse  gallop  up  to  the  gate  and  stop, 
and  then  I  saw  the  servant  hurry  out, 
bowing  and  writhing  with  obsequiousness 
as  the  rider  sprang  lightly  to  the  ground. 

Was  this  the  princess, — unattended  by 
even  a  groom  ?  I  could  not  doubt  it,  for 
the  servant  was  uttering  exclamations  of 
"Highness"  and  "Princess,"  and  there 
was  that  in  the  bearing  and  carriage  of 
the  small  patrician  head  that  corroborated 
him. 


316    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

I  let  my  hand  fall  to  the  hilt  of  my 
sabre,  took  off  my  hussar's  busby,  and 
walked  straight  down  the  path  to  meet 
the  Princess,  the  dreaded,  feared,  admired 
Witch  Sylvia. 

Then  I  bowed  low  and  stepped  for- 
ward, raising  my  eyes,  determined  to  bear 
myself  easily  and  coolly,  but  what  I  said 
was  "  God  have  mercy ! "  and  I  turned 
faint  and  trembled,  for  I  was  looking  into 
the  eyes  of  Lina. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    DUCHESS   OR    THE    DEVIL. 

THE  strangest  moments  of  my  life 
were  passing  as  I  stood  there  in  the 
garden  path,  rigid,  speechless,  clasping 
my  busby  with  one  hand,  clutching  my 
sabre  hilt  in  the  other.  My  senses  rocked 
and  reeled,  my  eyes  blurred  under  her 
gaze  ;  I  no  longer  felt  or  heard,  I  only 
saw  those  clear  eyes  looking  into  mine. 

At  last,  with  a  gesture  of  command,  she 
stepped  into  the  path  to  the  right,  and  I 
followed.  Twice,  as  we  moved  along  in 
silence,  I  saw  her  strike  a  rosebud  from 
its  stalk  with  her  riding-crop,  and,  scarce- 
knowing  what  I  did,  I,  following,  stooped 
and  lifted  the  crushed  blossoms  from  the 
ground. 

There  was  an  ivy -grown  group  of  trees, 
encircling  a  fountain  behind  the  house : 
317 


318    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

and  here  she  paused  and  tossed  her  riding 
crop  and  gauntlets  onto  the  turf. 

My  eyes  met  hers  for  an  instant,  then 
sought  the  ground  where  her  whip  and 
gloves  were  lying.  And  upon 'the  back 
of  one  small  gauntlet  I  saw,  emblazoned 
in  scarlet  and  gold,  the  tiny  royal  crest  of 
Boznovia. 

She  seated  herself  upon  a  marble  bench, 
touching  the  skirts  of  her  habit  indiffer- 
ently. Under  the  hem  of  her  habit  glit- 
tered a  single  golden  spur. 

"  What  have  you  to  say  ? "  she  said, 
without  looking  up. 

"  Nothing,"  I  replied.  I  wondered  that 
I  found  my  voice  at  all.  A  swift  change 
passed  across  her  face  ;  there  came  a  flash 
of  menace  into  her  eyes  and  they  deep- 
ened and  darkled  like  the  soft  colours  that 
slumber  in  the  depths  of  clouds  before  a 
storm. 

"  I  am  the  Princess  Sylvia  of  Marmora 
and  sister  to  the  King,"  she  said,  "  and 
I  am  not  accustomed  to  justify  myself 
to  anybody.  Yet  now  it  is  my  pleas- 
ure to  justify  myself  to  you, — to  you 


The  Duchess  or  the  Devil.    3J9 

a  foreigner,  who  bring  to  my  country 
the  curse  of  the  sword  ; — who  ride  into 
my  land  at  the  head  of  a  fierce  mer- 
cenary army  to  force  upon  my  people 
what  my  people  have  repudiated  by  force. 
What  is  it  to  you  that  cottages  are 
burned  and  wretched  peasants  lose  their 
all  ?  What  is  it  to  you  that  a  peaceful 
people  are  harried  like  starving  wolves  ? 
Do  you  know  what  war  is  ?  Do  you 
care  ?  Do  you  think  it  is  all  helmets  and 
horses  and  gorgeous  trappings  ?  Have 
you  ever  seen  a  cannon  wheel  crush  the 
breast  of  a  dying  man  ?  Have  you  ever 
seen  your  black  shells  rip  a  woman  into 
shreds  of  quivering  flesh  ?  You  who  eat 
and  drink  when  you  will,  who  have  but  to 
speak,  and  satisfy  your  hunger,  do  you 
know  what  starvation  is  ?  Have  you  seen 
a  city  full  of  tottering  skeletons,  scraping 
the  filth  from  gutter  refuse  to  find  a  bone  ? 
That  is  war  ! " 

She  flung  herself  breathlessly  upon  the 
marble  seat. 

"That  is  war!"  she  repeated,  closing 
her  white  teeth  ;  "  filth,  disease,  cold,  star- 


320    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

vation,  rags, — all  these  are  but  words  to 
you, — but  these  words  are  only  a  longer 
way  of  saying  'war.'  And  you  bring  war 
to  me  and  to  my  people !  Why?  Have 
you  a  wrong  to  redress?  Have  you  a 
principle  to  vindicate  ?  Have  you  even  a 
private  grievance  that  needs  the  blood  of 
the  poor  to  heal  ?  Is  this  why  you  bring 
this  monstrous  curse  upon  my  country,— 
upon  me  and  my  people  ?  Ah  no  !  It  is 
because  you  have  been  refused  by  a 
woman  and  you  merely  wish  to  divert 
your  mind.  It  is  excitement  you  are 
looking  for, — and  you  decide  you  will 
find  it  in  war." 

Motionless,  speechless,  I  stood  before 
her.  My  hand  grew  numb  ;  I  no  longer 
felt  the  sabre  hilt  under  my  straining 
fingers. 

"  This,  then,  is  my  justification,"  she 
said,  bitterly,  "  and  I  would  do  what  I 
have  done  again  and  again, — all  that  I 
have  done,  yes,  if  it  tore  my  heart  from 
my  breast !  What  I  have  suffered  I 
pass  over.  It  was  my  privilege  to  endure 
what  I  have  endured  and  God  was  merci- 


The  Duchess  or  the  Devil.    321 

ful  beyond  all  understanding,  for  He 
threw  you  into  my  path, — and  I  used  you 
to  His  eternal  glory  and  praise.  Through 
you, — in  spite  of  you, — not  one  drop  of 
blood  has  been  shed,  not  one  mother's 
heart  broken,  not  one  wife  widowed.  To- 
day your  armed  hordes  are  tramping  back 
unscathed,  with  clean  hands  and  hearts  ; 
to-day  your  allied  Kings  and  nobles  are 
spurring  homeward,  contented  each  with 
his  little  profit.  Can  I  ask  more  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  answered  at  last,  and  turned 
away  with  bent  head.  And,  as  I  turned 
to  go  my  way,  a  touch  fell  upon  my  arm 
and  I  raised  my  head. 

She  stood  there,  pale,  tearful,  both 
arms  outstretched,  barring  my  path  ;  then 
with  a  great  sob  she  caught  my  hands  in 
hers,  drawing  my  arms  around  her,  close, 
closer,  until  her  wet  cheeks  were  hidden 
on  my  breast.  Thus  did  the  Princess 
Sylvia  of  Marmora  choose  to  justify  her- 
self in  the  eyes  of  the  man  she  loved. 

It  was  early  evening  and  the  sun  still 
gilded  the  tree  trunks  and  tinged  the 


322    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

placid  pool  of  the  fountain  as  we  passed 
too  and  fro  among  the  thickets  of  the 
little  grove.  We  stepped  slowly  and 
gravely  as  befitted  two  young  people  who 
are  on  the  point  of  electrifying  Europe. 
My  arm  clasped  her  lithe  body ;  her 
white  hand  lay  over  mine,  holding  it  still 
closer  to  her  side.  I  had  been  telling  her 
exactly  how  I  loved  her,  and,  having 
paused  a  moment  to  breathe,  she  told  me, 
very  innocently,  just  how  she  loved  me. 
All  the  purity  of  her  loyal  heart,  all  the 
deep  passion,  fierce  and  tender  at  the 
same  time, — all  these  were  mine, — for  me 
alone.  She  spoke  simply,  with  no  thought 
of  shame  or  coquetry  ;  and  she  was  so 
sweet,  so  winsome,  turning  to  me  with 
questions  and  asking  for  advice  and  aid. 
— she  who  had  duped  an  army  and  two 
Kings,  -  -  she  who  had  held  by  sheer 
strength  a  furious  struggling  trapped  man  ! 
Oh,  I  was  very  grave  and  serious  when  I 
received  her  pretty  "  merci,  mon  cceur," 
as  though  she  had  been  in  direst  peril.  It 
is  right  after  all.  A  man  must  needs  per- 
suade himself  that  the  woman  he  loves  is 


The  Duchess  or  the  Devil.    323 

a  little  helpless  and  a  trifle  dependent. 
Otherwise  he  is  troubled  in  his  heart  and 
sooner  or  later  the  devil  intervenes. 

Now  there  was  one  question  that  I  had 
been  aching  to  ask  Lina, — I  mean  the 
Princess  Sylvia, — but  I  dared  not,  being 
uncertain  as  to  her  reception  of  an  obser- 
vation which,  after  all,  it  was  perhaps  none 
of  my  business  to  offer. 

She  solved  the  problem  herself,  later, 
and  this  is  how  she  did  it. 

"  Do  you  like  my  hair?"  said  she, 
touching  a  dark  curl  and  daintily  bringing 
it  under  discipline. 

That  was  just  the  trouble.  The  Lina 
that  I  knew  had  golden  hair.  I  had 
sworn  it  was  beautiful, — more  beautiful 
than  dark  hair  ;  but  now,  alas  !  Lina  had 
suddenly  become  transformed  into  a 
lovely  dark-haired  Princess. 

"  If  it's  enchantment  I  give  it  up,"  said 
I  dolefully. 

She  laughed,  looking  up  into  my  face. 

"  The  same  eyes,"  I  said,  "  but  where 
—oh  where,  my  Sylvia,  is  that  twisted 
mesh  of  sunlight  that  you  called  hair  ?  " 


324    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"It  was  a  wig,  goose." 

Then,  finding  I  was  on  safe  ground,  I 
swore  by  the  nine  gods  that  this  dark 
silky  head  was  the  only  beautiful  head  in 
the  world,  but  she  pretended  to  refuse  all 
comfort  and  she  wept  for  her  blond  dis- 
guise. "I  don't  see  why,"  said  I,  "you 
ever  wore  it." 

"  The  Duchess  would  have  known  me, 
and  might  have  done  me  an  injury." 

"  The  devil  !"  said  I. 

"  No,  the  Duchess,"  said  Sylvia, 
gravely. 

We  strolled  towards  the  house,  I  un- 
willingly withdrawing  my  arm,  for  Sylvia 
said  that  Max  the  servant  might  be  indis- 
creet enough  to  look  out  of  the  window. 

Dinner  was  announced,  as  she  com- 
manded, at  once,  and  I  had  just  time  to 
run  to  my  room  and  return  to  meet  her 
and  conduct  her  with  most  elaborate  cere- 
mony to  her  place. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  dinner  we  drank 
to  each  other  in  a  light  sunny-coloured 
wine  out  of  glasses  as  thin  as  soap-bub- 
bles. Sylvia  ate  three  salted  Ispha  nuts 


The  Duchess  or  the  Devil.    325 

and  then  we  found  a  philopena,  which  dis- 
covery furnished  us  with  most  delightful 
opportunities. 

Once  I  remember  how  she  held  in  her 
delicate  fingers  a  glass  of  the  red  wine  of 
Burgundy,  and  the  candle-light  shining 
through,  stained  her  white  wrist  crimson. 

Now  I  do  not  suppose  that  many  peo- 
ple would  care  to  know  just  what  we  said 
and  did  during  that  heavenly  repast.  If 
they  do,  they  should  not  be  indulged. 

We  said  a  number  of  things  and  we 
looked  a  great  many  more,  and  we  did 
not  eat  enough  to  keep  a  canary-bird  in 
robust  health.  I  think  Sylvia  sipped  part 
of  two  small  glasses  of  wine.  I  was  less 
abstemious, — I  took  part  of  three. 

She  herself  called  for  the  silver  lamp 
and  lighted  a  cigarette  for  me,  then  rose 
and  passed  from  the  room,  leaning  lightly 
on  my  arm. 

A  young  moon  was  shining  in  the  sky. 
That  it  was  there  solely  for  our  benefit 
we  never  doubted.  Probably  most  lovers 
can  imagine  what  we  did.  If  they  cannot 
I  decline  to  assist  them. 


326    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Sylvia,"  I  whispered, — her  face  lay 
against  mine,  —  "  tell  me  about  that 
bear." 

"Casimir?" 

"No,  the  bear." 

"  That  's  what  I  mean,  my  pet  bear 
Casimir." 

"  Oh,"  said  I,  feeling  that  she  was 
smiling,  "  so  you  really  named  him 
Casimir  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  it  was  silly  because  Casimir 
is  a  lady-bear.  Do  you  know  what  she 
did  ?  Only  think,  she  ran  away  and  had 
cubs  all  by  herself." 

A  faint  suspicion  began  to  dawn  in  my 
mind. 

"  She  ran  away  into  the  Tiflix  valley 
from  the  Ezrox  station,  where  they  were 
transporting  her  by  rail  to  Belgarde.  She 
had  been  in  the  Zoo  in  Bazoum  while  the 
Exposition  lasted." 

"  Hm  !  So  she  had  cubs  in  the  Tiflix 
Valley?" 

"Yes, — and  do  you  know  she  was  so 
glad  to  see  any  one  that  when  one  of  my 
spies  stumbled  across  her  she  rushed  for 


The  Duchess  or  the  Devil.    327 

him  and  frightened  him  half  to  death. 
He  went  up  a  tree." 

-Did  he?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes, — and  do  you  know  that  Obadiah 
and  the  Duke  of  Babu  who  were  out 
fishing  were  also  frightened  and  ran  up 
two  more  trees  ?  " 

"  I — er — I  believe  that  Babu  did  men- 
tion it,"  I  said  carelessly.  "  And  you  say 
the  bear  was — er — was  not  fierce  ?  " 

"Casimir?  Poor  darling,  she  was  de- 
lighted to  see  anybody." 

"  Not  delighted  at  seeing  a  meal  ?" 

"  Casimir  ?    She  would  n't  bite  a  gnat ! " 

I  was  silent  for  a  while.  Sylvia  pressed 
her  fragrant  cheek  against  her  clasped 
hands. 

"  Would  n't  bite  eh  ?  "  I  asked  again. 

"  No  indeed." 

"  How  did  you  know  the  bear  treed 
Babu  and  Obadiah  ?  " 

"  Why  my  spy  told  me." 

"Did  he  tell  you  anything  else?"  I 
asked  suspiciously. 

Sylvia  was  laughing  softly  and  I  re- 
belled and  turned  her  face  to  mine. 


328    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Stop  it,"  I  said,  "  how  was  I  to  know 
that  the  brute  was  n't  an  ordinary  she- 
bear?" 

"  I  am  not  laughing,"  she  said,  "  you 
were  very  brave  and  you  did  one  of  the 
cleverest  things  I  ever  heard  of.  Don't 
think  I  am  trying  to  tease  you ;  I  only 
can't  help  remembering  how  mild  and 
meek  poor  Casimir  is  and— 

"  Oh  Heavens  ! "  I  muttered,  "  to  think 
that  this  tame  bear  should  dog  my  foot- 
steps and  make  an  idiot  of  me  in  two 
countries." 

It  was  Sylvia's  turn  to  comfort  me  now 
and  she  did  so  until  I  also  had  to  laugh. 

For  a  few  minutes  we  paced  up  and 
down  the  dusky  garden  paths  under  the 
young  moon,  too  happy  to  think  of  any- 
thing but  the  present.  I  had  drawn  her 
arm  through  mine  and  I  believe  that  we 
were  saying  to  each  other  some  things 
that  would  sound  silly  if  repeated  in  cold 
blood,  when  suddenly  Sylvia  stopped 
short. 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked,  taking  quick 
alarm. 


The  Duchess  or  the  Devil.    329 

"  Hush,"  she  whispered,  "  walk  quietly 
with  me  ;  do  not  offer  to  touch  me, — see  ! 
—see  there!  Ah!  It  is  Prascoff!  He 
has  gone  ! " 

"  Where,  who?"  I  stammered,  staring 
out  into  the  night.  But  she  only  repeated, 
"  Oh,  he  has  gone  to  the  King !  What 
shall  I  do  !  Oh,  you  must  take  me  away 
with  you  ;  take  me  now — take  me  away  f 
for  my  own  spy,  Prascoff,  the  Russian,  has 
seen  you  kiss  me,  and  it  will  go  hard  with 
me  and  harder  with  you  if  my  brother  the 
King  confronts  us." 

The  King  !  In  my  great  happiness  I  had 
forgotten  that  I  was  in  love  with  the  sister 
of  a  King. 

"  The  King  ! "  I  said,—"  your  brother  ! " 

"  Are  you  afraid  ?"  she  asked. 

Then  I  laughed,  and  took  her  hand 
lightly  in  my  own. 

"  No,"  said  I  ;  "is  there  a  horse  here 
that  I  can  ride  ?  " 

"Yes;  in  the  stable  behind  the  trees 
there  are  three.  I  have  my  own." 

"  Max  ! "  I  shouted,  and  a  prompt  voice 
came  quavering  :  "  Excelenz." 


33°    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

" Saddle  the  best  horse  at  once!"  I 
cried,  "  and  saddle  the  horse  of  her  Royal 
Highness." 

Sylvia  leaned  heavily  on  my  arm  as  I 
led  her  to  the  hedge  gate,  where  we  were 
to  mount.  In  a  few  minutes  the  trample 
of  hoofs  came  to  us  from  the  stable  yard, 
and  presently  Max  appeared,  leading  both 
horses.  Quick  as  a  flash  I  lifted  Sylvia 
into  her  saddle,  then  sprang  into  my  own. 

"Max,"  I  said,  "we  are  going  for  a 
gallop." 

The  man  was  mute. 

"  Max,"  said  Sylvia,  "  are  you  faithful 
tome?" 

"  Till  death,  my  Princess,"  replied  the 
servant,  simply. 

"  Whither  do  we  ride  ?  "  asked  Sylvia, 
turning  to  me. 

"  To  the  nearest  city  and  priest,"  I 
answered  in  a  low  voice. 

"  The  nearest  shelter, — and  priest,  are 
at  schloss  Lauterschnapps  in  Taxim- 
bourg." 

"The  Duchess'  castle!" 

"  Yes ;    it   is   our   only   chance.      The 


The  Duchess  or  the  Devil.    331 

other  way  leads  to  Tchatal-Dagh  and 
Belgarde." 

We  were  between  the  devil  and  the 
deep-sea.  I  chose  the  devil. 

"  How  far  is  Taximbourg  ?  " 

"  Forty  miles." 

"  East  ?  " 

-Yes." 

"  Va  pour  la  Duchess  !  "  I  cried  ;  "  Max, 
we  have  ridden  west, — if  anybody  wishes 
to  Jcnow." 

Max  looked  at  Sylvia. 

"  We  have  ridden  west,"  said  Sylvia  ; 
and  we  wheeled  our  horses  sharply  to  the 
east  and  dashed  out  into  the  night. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

A    HEADLONG    FLIGHT. 

MY  memories  of  that  midnight  ride 
are  vague,  yet  even  now,  as  I 
write,  I  can  almost  hear  the  night  winds 
rushing  by,  the  creak  and  strain  of  saddle 
and  stirrup,  the  rhythm  of  hoofs  in  the 
dark,  galloping,  galloping  through  wood- 
land and  valley,  now  sharp  on  the  ringing 
rocks,  now  dulled  in  the  dirt,  and  now 
again  echoing  steadily  over  the  highway, 
while  the  misty  roadside  bushes  bent  and 
bowed  in  the  flurry  of  wind  at  our  horses' 
flanks. 

It  was  nearly  dawn  when  we  drew 
bridle  before  the  line  of  square  painted 
posts  emblazoned  with  the  royal  arms  of 
Boznovia  on  one  side,  and  the  arms  of 
Taximbourg  on  the  other.  The  frontier 
332 


A  Headlong  Flight.          333 

at  last !  Facing  the  highway  stood  a  long 
low  stone  house,  from  which  now  appeared 
a  sleepy  soldier,  trailing  a  rifle.  He 
yawned  and  coughed,  and  asked  us  if  we 
had  anything  to  declare.  We  said  that 
we  had  nothing  dutiable,  and  he  let  us  go, 
pocketing  the  gold  piece  I  offered,  and 
saluting  my  uniform,  apparently  as  an 
afterthought. 

"  Is  that  a  specimen  of  the  Taximbourg 
soldier  ?  "  I  asked,  guiding  my  horse  close 
to  Sylvia's  bridle-rein. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  smiling,  and  settling 
her  hair  with  one  gloved  hand  ;  "do  you 
wonder  that  King  Theobald  was  not  able 
to  govern  Boznovia  when  he  proved  in- 
capable of  ruling  his  own  country  ?  " 

"Poor  King,"  I  murmured;  "doubt- 
less he  is  much  happier  to-day  in  his  own 
home  than  he  could  ever  have  been  in  the 
Belgarde  Palace." 

"I  hope  he  is,"  said  Sylvia  seriously; 
"  I  'm  sure  that  I  am."  We  both  laughed 
at  this,  and  I  imagined  that  Sylvia  saw 
no  trace  of  the  anxiety  that  was  in  my 
breast. 


334    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"Shall  we  gallop?"  she  asked;  "the 
horses  are  not  winded." 

"  Do  you  think  we  should  gallop  ?  "  I 
replied. 

"I  think  we  had  better,"  she  said,  lean- 
ing across  her  saddle  ;  "  we  have  done 
a  very,  very  rash  thing,  my  darling,  and 
to-morrow  all  Europe  will  be  ringing 
with  it." 

"Let  it  ring,"  said  I  stoutly; — "and 
perhaps,  Sylvia,  we  had  better  gallop." 

I  thought  to  myself,  "If  it's  going  to 
ring,  I  '11  give  it  sufficient  to  ring  for." 

Dawn  was  silvering  the  dew-tipped 
tree-tops  as  we  shook  out  our  bridles,  and 
galloped  on.  The  clean,  fresh  air  grew 
sweet  with  the  fragrance  of  unclosing 
blossoms ;  birds  stirred  in  every  hedge, 
twittering  sleepily  ;  a  great  sombre  owl 
sailed  from  a  crooked  branch  overhead, 
and  floated  away  toward  the  darker  forest 
depths.  Along  the  road  little  pools  of 
water  grew  pale  and  then  pink  as  the  east 
brightened,  and,  in  the  hush  of  early 
morning,  a  distant  cock-crow  came  faintly 
to  our  ears. 


A  Headlong  Flight.          335 

Silently,  close  together,  we  flew  along, 
our  horses  striding  easily,  manes,  fore- 
locks, and  tails  streaming  straight  out, 
flanks  rising  and  falling  without  distress. 
And  now,  far  ahead  in  the  morning  haze, 
a  sweet  bell  tolled,  and  I  heard  a  dog 
barking  from  the  nearer  hillside. 

The  solemn  cattle  stared  at  us  as  we 
passed  through  a  farm-yard,  the  turkeys 
gobbled  silly  comments  from  their  thistle 
patch,  and  a  very  small  puppy  rushed  out 
at  us,  and  chased  us  nearly  a  rod,  bark- 
ing until  I  feared  for  his  tender  throat. 

Houses  crowded  along  the  roadside 
now,  low  grey  cottages  from  the  chimneys 
of  which  lazily  curled  the  morning  smoke. 
One  or  two  heavy  featured  Taximbour- 
geois,  carrying  primitive  scythes  and 
wooden  rakes,  stepped  aside  to  give  us 
way,  bidding  us  an  apathetic  "good 
morning ! " 

All  at  once  a  tower  loomed  up  from  the 
haze  across  the  meadows, — a  heavy,  for- 
bidding tower,  squatty  and  unlovely. 

"  Schloss  Lauterschnapps  !  "  panted 
Sylvia,  "  we  are  there  !  " 


336    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes.  . 

At  the  same  moment,  the  sun  leaped 
from  the  forest,  flooding  the  whole  land 
with  glittering  gilded  streams  of  light, 
and  I  saw,  as  by  magic,  a  vast  grey  castle, 
close  at  hand,  surrounded  by  trees  and 
vineyards  and  red-roofed  cottages,  from 
which  the  morning  vapours  steamed  and 
faded  in  the  air. 

By  a  common  impulse  we  drew  bridle, — 
the  fortified  causeway  was  close  in  front,— 
and  we  turned  our  heads  and  looked  at 
each  other. 

"  Suppose  she  drives  us  out,"  said  Sylvia 
at  last. 

"  She  shall  not  ! "  I  replied,  setting  my 
teeth  ;  but  truth  to  tell  I  had  little  stomach 
for  the  work  that  lay  before  me. 

"  She  is  a  dragon,"  said  Sylvia  faintly. 

"  No  more  than  I  'm  a  Saint-George," 
said  I.  Until  Sylvia  reads  this  she  will 
never  know  how  frightened  I  was. 

"  Don't  anger  her,  will  you,  dearest  ?  " 
said  Sylvia  desperately. 

"Good  saints  !"  thought  I,  "what  is 
this  Duchess  that  even  Witch  Sylvia 
should  fear  her  ? "  But  I  did  not  say 


A  Headlong  Flight.          337 

this  aloud  ;  I  merely  observed  that  my  sex 
protected  me,  and  Sylvia  joined  in  my 
very  uncertain  laughter. 

"  Come,"  said  I,  "  it  's  the  devil  or  the 
Duchess." 

"  I'm  a  little  afraid  it  's  both,"  said 
Sylvia,  but  she  gathered  up  her  bridle  and 
trotted  bravely  across  the  dismantled  for- 
tified bridge,  through  the  broad  way  that 
led  to  the  watch-towers  and  lowered  draw- 
bridge. 

Straight  up  the  stony  street  and  under 
the  portcullis  we  rode,  and  then  out  again 
into  the  castle  court.  Here,  without  wait- 
ing for  my  courage  to  ooze  away,  I  sprang 
to  the  ground,  lifted  Sylvia  from  her 
saddle  and,  giving  her  my  arm,  walked 
solemnly  up  to  the  high  gate.  There 
was  a  bell  rope  hanging  outside  and  I 
supposed  it  was  there  to  pull  so  I  pulled 
it.  I  regretted  my  haste  a  second  later, 
for  a  great  iron  bell  began  to  clang  and 
bang,  swinging  and  ringing  aloft  in  some 
steeple,  filling  the  whole  court  with  a  most 
hideously  infernal  clamor. 

"  I  Ve  done  it   now,"  said  I  ;  "if  they 


338    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

don't  do  something  violent  to  us  they  de- 
serve a  place  among  the  cherubim." 

"  It  was  the  wrong  bell,"  said  Sylvia, 
holding  tightly  to  my  arm, — "oh  here 
comes  somebody, — and — he  looks  very 
angry  ! " 

Somebody  was  coming, — coming  at  the 
top  of  his  speed,  saying  rash  unkind  things 
at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

"  You  're  the  porter,  I  fancy,"  said  I, 
smiling;  "you  see  we  are  strangers  and 
we  pulled  the  wrong  rope.  We  wish  to 
see  her  Grace  the  Dowager  Duchess  von 
Schwiggle,"  I  went  on,  ignoring  his  horri- 
fied protests  and  gestures,  "  and  we  wish  to 
see  her  at  once.  Oh,  it  is  very  important, 
and  I  mean  what  I  say,  and  you  need  n't 
make  those  queer  faces,  and  it  is  useless 
to  tell  us  that  the  whole  castle  is  alarmed, 
because  we  know  it,  and  it 's  just  as  well 
that  it  is.  Show  us  in, — yes,  all  those 
beautiful  gold-pieces  are  for  you, — show 
us  in, — you  'd  better  take  them  ! — show  us 
in  at  once,  if  you  please,  and  announce 
that  we  bring  tidings  of  the  army.  Oh, 
you  have  tidings  already  ?  And  his 


A  Headlong  Flight.          339 

Majesty  King  Theobald  is  here  ?  What ! 
their  Graces  of  Taxil  and  Babu  also  ? 
Dear  me,  how  delightful.  Wake  them 
all  up  and  tell  them  that  the  Princess 
Sylvia  of  Marmora  honours  them  with  her 
presence.  You  are  losing  time  by  gaping, 
my  friend, — go  quickly,  and  when  you  re- 
turn, see  that  the  horses  are  well  rubbed 
and  fed." 

"  Dear  me,"  whispered  Sylvia,  "  I  never 
knew  you  could  talk  like  that ! " 

"  Pooh  !"said  I,  "  that  is  nothing  ;  wait 
until  the  Duchess  comes." 

We  were  now  ushered  into  a  long, 
gloomy  room,  heavy  with  indigestible 
baroc  architecture,  and  we  sat  down, 
close  together,  upon  a  most  uncomfort- 
able lounge  ;  and  there  we  waited. 

"Pooh!"  I  repeated.  "When  the 
Duchess  comes  I  will  astonish  and  de- 
light you,  Sylvia." 

"  I  hope  you  will  delight  the  Duchess 
too,"  said  Sylvia,  moving  nearer. 

"  Only  wait,"  said  I. 

Alas,  we  had  not  long  to  wait.  Before 
I  could  get  my  eyes  accustomed  to  the 


34°    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

gloom  of  the  vast  chamber,  a  hastily- 
dressed  flunky  stalked  into  the  room  with 
an  ultimatum  from  the  Duchess.  Its  pur- 
port was  simply  "  go  at  once  ! "  but  the 
leaden-eyed  flunky  clothed  it  in  milder 
language. 

"Go?"  said  I,  "not  at  all.  We  pro- 
pose to  wait  here  until  we  see  her  Grace. 
Kindly  announce  to  her  our  inflexible 
purpose." 

The  flunky  withdrew,  agitated  ;  I  saw 
other  servants  in  the  great  hall,  whisper- 
ing in  groups  and  stealing  furtive  peeps 
at  us. 

"The  whole  castle  is  aroused,"  said  I ; 
"doubtless  I  pulled  the  alarm  bell.  It 
sounded  like  a  tocsin." 

"  I  have  been  here  very  often,"  said 
Sylvia,  "  but  you  know  that  was  four  years 
ago, — before  the  Duchess  was  shocked  at 
a  little  thing  I  did— 

"  Hm  !     I  have  heard  about  it,  dearest." 

Sylvia  looked  at  me  out  of  the  corners 
of  her  eyes. 

"  I  regret  it  now,"  she  said  humbly. 

"  I  don't,"  I  said,  "  my  wife  can  do  no 
wrong." 


A  Headlong  Flight.          34 r 

Then  we  sat  silent,  hand  in  hand,  our 
eyes  fixed  on  the  outer  hall. 

"  I  was  going  to  say,"  ventured  Sylvia, 
"that  when  I  was  here  I  never  noticed 
that  bell-rope.  It  must  be  some  recent 
horrid  freak  of  her  Grace." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  I,  "  if  they  don't 
conduct  us  to  the  Duchess  I  '11  ring  it 
again.  I  wonder  whether  Taxil  is  here. 
If  he— Hello  !  Who  is  this  !— Why  bless 
me  it 's  Prince  Saranitza  !  " 

I  sprang  up  and  took  both  his  out- 
stretched hands  in  mine  ;  then,  wondering, 
delighted,  I  presented  him  to  Sylvia,  who 
received  him  very  sweetly  because  she  saw 
he  was  my  friend. 

"Now  what  the  mischief,"  laughed 
Saranitza,  "  do  you  mean  by  coming  to 
unprotected  castles  at  break  of  day  and 
sounding  the  tocsin  ?  Why  man,  the 
castle's  gone  mad.  Babu  rushed  out  on 
the  battlements  crying, '  to  arms  !  to  arms  ! 
The  Russians  are  upon  us  ! '  and  Taxil  is 
arming  for  the  fray,  and  her  Grace  is 
racing  about  with  Mops  at  her  heels  say- 
ing very  funny  things  in  a  voice  like  a  six 
gun  battery." 


342    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Sylvia  was  laughing  in  spite  of  my  hor- 
rified face,  and  Prince  Saranitza,  looking 
curiously  from  one  to  the  other,  twisted  his 
blond  mustache  and  stood  up  very  straight. 

"See  here,"  said  I,  "if  the  Duchess 
won't  receive  us,  can  you  not  get  a  priest  ? 
On  my  honour,  my  dear  fellow,  two  people 
never  stood  in  sorer  need  of  the  offices  of 
a  holy  man." 

Saranitza  was  too  well  bred  to  show  the 
slightest  astonishment,  but  I  do  not  think 
Sylvia  would  have  blamed  him  if  he  had 
tottered. 

"  Do  you  wish  a  priest  at  once  ? "  he 
asked  soberly. 

"Is  such  a  marriage  legal?"  I  asked 
Sylvia  in  a  low  voice. 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  said  faintly. 

"  But  tell  me,  what  is  the  law  of  Bozno- 
via?"  I  urged. 

"  In  Marmora  it  needs  parents'  consent 
and  banns  and  civil  and  religious  cere- 
mony," she  murmured.  "  I  am  of  age  and  I 
have  no  parents  living,  but  all  the  same  the 
banns  must  be  published  three  successive 
weeks  in  advance." 


A  Headlong  Flight.          343 

"  Well,  then  we  '11  marry  under  the 
Boznovian  law,"  said  I.  "  Shall  I  ask  Prince 
Saranitza  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  her  face  all  rosy. 

Saranitza  listened  without  apparent 
emotion  although  what  I  told  him  must 
have  made  his  aristocratic  senses  tremble 
in  the  balance. 

"  You  know,  of  course,  that  an  earth- 
quake in  London  would  excite  less  amaze- 
ment than  this,"  he  said  to  me  in  a  whisper. 

"Yes,"— what  of  it?" 

"  Nothing,  my  dear  fellow, — God  bless 
you ! "  and  he  clasped  me  warmly  to  his 
breast.  Then  he  laughed  and  begged 
Sylvia's  permission  to  retire,  and  in  a  few 
moments  he  appeared  with  a  kindly  young 
priest  who  looked  as  though  he  had  hastily 
donned  his  soutane  and  neglected  to 
shave. 

"  Marry  us,  my  father,  in  the  speediest 
manner  that  is  possible  and  consistent 
with  the  laws  of  the  Church,"  I  said,  "  for 
our  case  is  desperate." 

Sylvia  stood  up,  pale  and  red  by  turns. 

"If  this  is  not  legal  in  the  eyes  of  the 


344    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Boznovian  and  the  Marmorian  law, — do 
you  care  ?  "  I  whispered. 

"  No,  murmured  Sylvia,  "  it  is  legal  for 
us  ;  what  matters  the  rest  ?  " 

And  so,  Prince  Saranitza  as  witness,  the 
good  priest  made  us  man  and  wife.  And 
after  he  had  gone  away  and  Saranitza  had 
kissed  Sylvia's  little  hand  and  had  fol- 
lowed him,  Sylvia  went  into  a  dim  corner 
of  the  room  and  knelt  down  to  pray. 

"  Law  or  no  law,  neither  King  nor 
Church  shall  part  us  now  ! "  I  thought. 
In  America  it  was  legal  and  once  on  board 
an  Atlantic  liner,  little  I  cared  whether  the 
marriage  was  legal  in  Boznovia  or  in  all 
Europe  for  that  matter. 

Sylvia  was  still  on  her  knees  and  I  stood 
silent  by  the  great  mirror,  watching  her 
with  fast  beating  heart,  when  a  heavy  step 
fell  upon  the  threshold  and  a  heavier 
voice  boomed  through  the  apartment — 

"  Herr  Je  ! " 

It  was  the  Duchess. 

"  Blessed  be  His  Name,"  I  said  devout- 
ly, and  looked  straight  into  the  Duchess' 
stony  eyes.  Sylvia  had  risen  from  her 


A  Headlong  Flight.          345 

knees,  pallid,  but  holding  her  head  high. 
The  Duchess*  eyes  gleamed  fury. 

"  Go ! "  she  cried,  but  I  stopped  her 
with  a  gesture. 

"  Madame,"  said  I,  "we  are  going  when 
we  are  ready.  We  ran  away  to  get  mar- 
ried and  we  have  been  married  and  we 
sought  your  schloss  because  we  were  in 
peril  of  capture  from  the  King  of  Boz- 
novia,  my  wife's  brother." 

For  a  second  the  Duchess  gaped,  rigid 
with  astonishment  ;  then  the  poor  old 
Dowager  utterly  collapsed.  She  had  hys- 
terics, an  awful  condition  to  witness  in 
such  a  woman, — it  was  as  though  a  grena- 
dier of  the  guard  was  throwing  fits. 

Sylvia  and  I  did  what  we  could  for  her  ; 
we  placed  her  on  the  lounge  where  she 
alternately  sobbed  and  grinned  and  hugged 
me  and  hugged  Sylvia  until  my  own  senses 
reeled  a  bit,  and  I  began  to  wonder  how 
the  affair  would  end.  Poor  old  creature  ! 
Sylvia  smoothed  and  arranged  her  curl- 
papers and  tidied  the  red  and  green  dress- 
ing gown,  saying  soft  pretty  things  to  her 
and  drying  her  faded  eyes.  Mops  came 


346    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

wheezing  in  and  growled  at  me,  but  I  for- 
gave him  and  attempted  to  caress  him, 
and  got  bitten  for  my  pains. 

After  a  while  the  Duchess  signified  her 
desire  to  go,  and  she  went,  leaning  heavily 
on  Sylvia,  who  sent  back  to  me  a  long, 
loving  glance  as  she  passed  out  of  the 
door. 

Saranitza,  who  was  perfectly  aware  of 
what  had  happened,  strolled  in  and  took 
my  arm,  leading  me  to  his  own  apartment. 

"  You  see,"  he  said,  "  the  old  lady  is  all 
right  now  ;  she  kicks  up  an  infernal  fuss 
and  says  nasty  things  but,  I  tell  you,  a 
bold  coup-d'etat  wins  her  every  time. 
Why,  man,  she  'd  defend  this  castle  against 
twenty  Ruperts  now  !  And  she  '11  do  more  ; 
she  '11  see  Bismarck.  He  *s  in  Taxim- 
bourg  this  week  to  take  the  waters,  and 
if  she  asks  him  he  will  smooth  things 
over,  and  Europe  wont  say  a  blessed 
word." 

"  Europe  may  not,  but  what  about  King 
Rupert?"  I  demanded. 

"  Rupert  ?  Pooh  !  He  knows  well 
enough  that  he  only  holds  his  throne 


A  Headlong  Flight.          347 

down  by  the  grace  of  God  and  Otto  von 
Bismarck." 

I  flung  myself  on  a  lounge,  completely 
exhausted,  and  looked  wearily  up  at  him. 

"  There  is  one  thing,  however,  that  I 
wont  forgive  you  for,"  said  Saranitza 
laughing  down  at  me,  "  and  that  is  that 
your  confounded  tocsin  most  hideously 
disturbed  the  slumbers  of  my  fiancee." 

"  Is  she  here  ?"  I  asked,  incredulously. 

"  Here  ?  I  should  say  so.  I  Ve  two 
months'  leave  to  marry  in,  and  as  soon  as 
her  parents  come  from  the  Bosphorus  we 
are  going  to  Vienna  to  be  married." 

"  Bosphorus  ! "  I  stammered. 

"  Yes,  why  you  must  have  met  her, — I 
declare  I  forgot  that  last  night  she  said 
she  knew  you — " 

"  Marjory  Grey  ! "  I  cried,  sitting  straight 
up,  "  oh  I  am  glad,  I  am  delighted  ! "  and 
I  laughed  and  hugged  him  and  wrung  his 
hand  until  he  protested. 

"  Why  I  did  n't  know  that  you  were  so 
well  acquainted,"  he  said  mildly,  "my 
fiancee  never  told  me  about  you  till  last 
evening — " 


348    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"We  were  boy  and  girl  together/'  I 
said,  radiant  with  happiness,  "we  were 
two  youngsters  who  had  a  very  jolly  time 
as  two  youngsters  can  only  in  America. 
Is  Grey  Pasha  going  to  bring  his  lovely 
wife  to  schloss  Lauterschnapps?  If  he  does, 
the  three  most  beautiful  women  in  Europe 
will  be  together  under  the  same  roof." 

"  And  also  the  three  happiest  fellows 
in  all  the  world,"  he  smiled. 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  seriously. 

Mops,  passing  the  door,  growled  at  me. 

"  He  's  a  German  dog,"  said  Saranitza, 
"  his  bite  is  worse  than  his  growl.  Let  us 
be  thankful  that  her  Grace  is  only  a 
Taximbourgeoise. " 

u  I  am,"  I  said,  earnestly. 

Then  a  trumpet  peal  from  the  court 
brought  us  both  to  our  feet. 

"  Sainte  Vierge  ! "  whispered  Saranit- 
za, "  it 's  Rupert  of  Boznovia ! " 

I  stumbled  to  the  window  and  looked 
out.  In  the  court-yard  below  a  trumpeter 
of  the  Boznovian  cavalry  sat  on  his  sweat- 
ing horse,  and  beside  him,  grey  with  dust, 
King  Rupert  towered  in  his  saddle,  brows 
knitted,  eyes  fixed  on  the  porter's  gate. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

THE    WITCHERY    OF    SYLVIA. 

IT  took  me  but  a  moment  to  make  up 
my  mind.  I  picked  up  my  busby, 
adjusted  the  golden-scaled  strap  firmly 
beneath  my  chin,  snapped  belt  and  sabre- 
tache under  my  dolman,  and,  picking  up 
my  sabre,  hurried  down  the  stairway  and 
out  into  the  court-yard. 

The  King  paled  a  little  when  he  saw 
me,  and  straightened  up  in  his  saddle,  but 
his  eyes  sparkled  with  fury,  and  his  hand 
flew  to  his  sabre  guard. 

"  That  fs  what  I  want ! "  I  said  ;  "  if 
you  have  any  grievance  against  me,  in 
Heaven's  name  let  us  settle  it  now  ! " 

By  all  the  laws  of  code  and  country  the 
King  was  held  to  be  incompetent  and 
above  the  necessity  of  resenting  personal 
insult,  yet  I  knew  I  had  not  misjudged 

349 


35°    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

the  man,  and  it  was  the  man,  not  the  King 
who  replied  haughtily,  and  sprang  from 
his  saddle  right  at  me,  sabre  glistening  in 
the  sun. 

Clash  !  Crash  !  rang  our  sabres  in  the 
stony  court,  starting  sharp  echoes  from 
turret  and  archway ;  and  the  startled 
horses  reared  and  snorted,  neighing 
shrilly  as  the  trumpeter  struggled  and 
backed,  straining  in  his  saddle.  The 
King  pressed  me  so  furiously  that  I  gave 
ground,  moving  diagonally  across  the 
court.  I  saw  the  broad  blade  of  his  sabre 
flashing  and  turning  before  my  eyes,  I 
heard  a  shout,  a  warning  cry,  a  trample 
and  snort,  then  something  struck  me  and 
I  reeled  and  pitched  forward,  the  sabre 
falling  from  my  nerveless  hand.  I  must 
have  lain  unconscious  for  a  moment  or 
two,  for,  when  I  struggled  to  rise,  my 
head  was  gently  pressed  back  into  two 
soft  arms !  I  looked  up.  Sylvia  bent 
above  me,  white  and  silent.  And  now  I 
also  saw  the  King,  motionless,  sabre 
lowered,  standing  in  front  of  me,  but  he 
was  not  looking  at  me.  Beside  him  stood 


The  Witchery  of  Sylvia.       351 

an  old  man,  dressed  in  ill-fitting  snuff  col- 
oured clothes,  the  sleeves  of  which  were 
too  long  and  fell  over  his  withered  hands. 
Under  his  slouch  hat  his  prominent  pale 
eyes  flickered  ;  the  deep  lines  in  his  square 
jaw  stretched  along  his  cheek  ;  his  mouth 
tightened  under  his  white  moustache. 

It  was  Bismarck. 

"What  is  done  cannot  be  undone,"  he 
said,  looking  at  King  Rupert.  "  If  the 
Princess  Sylvia  has  chosen  to  place  her- 
self outside  the  pale,  the  Princess  Sylvia 
must  take  the  consequences.  But  I  will 
have  no  scandal  ;  do  you  understand, 
King  Rupert  ?  The  Czar  and  I  placed 
you  where  you  are  for  one  purpose,  peace. 
I  will  not  have  the  peace  of  Europe  dis- 
turbed because  of  Boznovia.  It  is  the 
tinder-box  that  I  most  fear  ;  and  when  I 
say  that  I  fear  it  you  will  understand  that 
I  am  in  earnest." 

"  The  marriage  is  not  legal,"  said  King 
Rupert  hotly. 

Bismarck  smiled  and  bent  his  grim  face 
upon  Sylvia,  crouching  beside  me  on  the 
pavement 


352    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Do  you  hear  what  your  brother  says, 
my  child  ? "  he  asked  with  a  touch  of 
malice  in  his  smile. 

"  This  is  my  husband,"  said  Sylvia, 
holding  my  head  to  her  breast. 

Bismarck  let  his  thin  hand  fall  upon  the 
head  of  a  great  dog  that  had  walked  up 
beside  him. 

"  Well  ?  "  he  said,  turning  suddenly  on 
King  Rupert. 

"  Sylvia,"  said  the  King,  "  are  you  mad  ! 
Will  you  put  me  to  shame  and  scorn  in 
the  face  of  all  Europe  ?  " 

"You  are  shaming  yourself,"  she  said. 
"  Go  back  to  Belgarde  and  I  will  try  to  for- 
give you  ;  but  if  you  lift  a  finger  against 
my  husband  it  will  bode  ill  for  Boznovia  !" 

I  struggled  again  to  rise  but  she  held 
me  back,  calling  on  Prince  Bismarck  to 
keep  her  brother  away  from  me. 

Then  the  Duchess  got  hold  of  King 
Rupert  and  Bismarck  walked  on  the  other 
side,  the  great  dog  stalking  at  his  heels. 
A  thin  stream  of  blood  trickled  into  my 
eyes  and  down  along  my  chin  and  Sylvia 
wiped  it  away,  and  held  me  closer. 


The  Witchery  of  Sylvia.       353 

I  saw  it  was  wisest  to  let  things  take 
their  course  so  I  said  nothing  more,  and 
presently  King  Rupert  and  his  diplomatic 
mentors  passed  out  of  the  court  through 
the  castle  gate.  Confused  and  weak  as  I 
was  I  pitied  King  Rupert  with  two  such 
grim  masters  at  his  elbows. 

At  last  Sylvia  bent  over  me  again,  touch- 
ing my  forehead  fearfully,  and  I  smiled 
and  answered  the  question  in  her  eyes  : 
"  I  am  not  hurt."  Did  your  brother  cut 
me  down  ?  " 

"  God  forbid  !  "  sobbed  Sylvia,  "  the 
trumpeter's  horse  backed  into  you  and 
trampled  you.  Oh  my  darling,  your  head 
is  crushed  and  I  am  the  most  unhappy 
girl  on  earth  !  " 

"  Nonsense,"  said  I,  "  it  is  merely  a 
scratch.  Let  me  sit  up,  Sylvia.  There, 
see,  I  am  all  right ;  hello  !  here  's  Sara- 
nitza,  and  Marjory  Grey  ! " 

Marjory  came  up  to  me  and  frankly  took 
my  hand  in  hers. 

"  You  will  need  a  half  dozen  stitches 
in  that  noddle  of  yours,"  said  Saranitza 
cheerily,  "  come,  lean  on  me,  old  fellow ; 


354    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

no  bones  broken  ?  Crist i !  you  were  rid- 
den down  before  I  could  make  you  under- 
stand. It 's  all  right ;  King  Rupert  will 
take  Bismarck's  view  of  the  case  and  you 
need  n't  worry." 

Sylvia  supported  me  on  one  side, 
Saranitza  and  Marjory  on  the  other,  and 
we  moved  slowly  up  the  steps  and  into 
the  great  dark  chamber  where  the  priest 
had  made  Sylvia  and  me  man  and  wife. 

"  It  's  a  sorry  ending  to  my  military 
career,"  I  said  feebly  ;  "  I  understand  now 
that  I  was  never  intended  to  wear  sabres 
and  spurs." 

"  Whatever  you  wear  you  honour  ! " 
said  Sylvia  gravely. 

With  her  hand  in  mine,  lying  stretched 
on  the  lounge,  I  underwent  the  surgeon's 
examination  and  later  a  good  deal  of 
washing  and  stitching  and  odor  of  sickly 
smelling  colodian.  The  surgeon  was  an 
old  man  and  not  too  gentle  in  his  opera- 
tion but  I  said  nothing  and  watched 
Sylvia's  tender  eyes. 

"Can  he  travel?"  asked  Saranitza, 
bending  over  me. 


The  Witchery  of  Sylvia.       355 

The  surgeon  said  I  could  play  leap-frog 
if  I  desired  to  but  if  I  was  prudent  I  would 
avoid  such  amusements. 

"Old  bear!"  said  Marjory,  after  the 
surgeon  had  taken  his  leave  ;  "  I  wonder 
if  you  could  stand  the  journey  to  the  Tif- 
lix  valley.  Prince  Bismarck  says  that  the 
sooner  you  two  rash  young  people  leave 
Taximbourg  the  better  it  will  be  for  all 
concerned." 

"  Then,"  said  I,  "  let  us  go  in  Heaven's 
name,  for  this  is  not  the  sort  of  a  honey- 
moon that  I  should  have  deliberately 
selected  ;  should  you,  Sylvia  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Sylvia  blushing  and  smiling 
through  her  tears. 

"  There  is  a  britzska  waiting  when  you 
are  ready,"  observed  Saranitza ;  "  Bis- 
marck ordered  it." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  that  seems  to  settle 
it,"  and  I  stumbled  to  my  feet. 

Babu  and  Taxil  came  in  and  greeted 
me  warmly,  promising  to  visit  us  at  the 
shooting-box  in  the  Tiflix  valley.  Babu 
spoke  vaguely  of  bear  hunting  but  I  held 
my  peace,  avoiding  Sylvia's  delighted  eyes. 


356    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

Marjory  Grey  and  Prince  Saranitza  were 
very  thoughtful  and  cordial.  They  made 
us  as  comfortable  as  possible  in  the 
britzska,  wishing  us  all  sorts  of  blessings 
and  happiness,  and  bidding  us  God-speed 
in  the  name  of  the  Dutchess  who  had 
gone  to  Belgarde  with  the  unwilling  but 
helpless  King. 

"  Oh,  never  fear,  she  will  visit  you  !" 
said  King  Theobald,  coming  in,  clad  in 
a  rough  suit  with  a  leather  apron  tied 
around  his  waist. 

"  She  will  be  welcome,"  said  Sylvia 
sweetly. 

The  ex-King  wagged  his  head  and 
rubbed  his  blackened  thumbs  over  his 
apron. 

"  She  does  n't  know  everything,"  he 
said ;  "  she  does  n't  know  that  I  am  ten 
million  times  happier  here  in  Taximbourg 
playing  blacksmith  at  my  new  forge  than 
if  I  were  yawning  my  life  away  in  the 
Belgarde  Palace,  tormented  by  idiotic 
ministers." 

"  Ahem  ! "  coughed  Taxil. 

"  He  rides  but  ill  the  horse  he  shoes  so 


The  Witchery  of  Sylvia.       357 

well,"  murmured  Saranitza  in  my  ear ; 
"  bon  chien  chasse  de  race  ?  " 

So  at  last  we  said  good-bye,  and  the 
driver  cracked  his  long  lashed  whip,  and 
the  britzka  rolled  away,  followed  by  a 
storm  of  rice  from  Marjory  Grey's  mis- 
chievous hand,  and  one  of  Babu's  spurred 
boots  from  the  equally  mischievous  Sara- 
nitza. 

I  lay  back  in  the  britzka,  weak,  happy, 
holding  my  wife's  white  hands  against 
my  lips. 


ENVOI. 

MOSTLY    CONCERNING    BEARS. 


and  I  sat  on  a  rustic  bench 
in  our  rose  garden,  examining  wed- 
ding presents  and  watching  Obadiah  and 
Casimir  the  bear. 

The  presents  were  heaped  up  in  Sylvia's 
boudoir,  nearly  to  the  ceiling,  and  now 
this  new  batch  had  been  brought  by  Con- 
stantine,  and  of  course  it  was  necessary 
to  examine  them  at  once.  There  was  a 
golden  tea-service  from  Marjory  Grey, 
and  a  Persian  coffee  set  from  Prince  Sara- 
nitza.  The  Duchess  sent  nearly  a  ton  of 
hideous  bric-a-brac,  also  a  wretched  dog  of 
the  breed  of  Mops.  However,  as  long  as 
he  only  snapped  at  other  people,  Sylvia 
and  I  decided  to  harbour  him.  King 
Theobald  sent  us  half  a  dozen  golden 
horse-shoes  of  his  own  forging,  though 
358 


Mostly  Concerning  Bears.     359 

what  he  expected  us  to  do  with  them  I 
was  at  a  loss  to  understand,  until  Sylvia 
tacked  them  over  every  door  in  the  house. 
Their  Graces  of  Taxil  and  Babu  united  in 
a  gift  of  live-stock,  nine  drab-coloured  cows 
and  a  spotted  pony.  General  Bombwitz 
sent  me  a  snuff  box  of  depressing  design, 
and  to  Sylvia  he  gave  a  fan,  so  awful  that 
I  presented  it  to  Constantine's  daughter, 
who  wept  with  delight  at  my  munificence, 
The  King  of  Caucasia,  Count  Vladina, 
General  Brimborio,  all  of  the  general 
staff,  and  the  Duke  of  Etropolis,  united 
in  a  gift  of  silver  plate  that  made  me 
giddy  to  contemplate.  Clisson  sent  Sylvia 
some  rare  old  Caucasian  wine,  and  to  me 
he  presented  a  sabre  and  a  sarcastic  note 
ending  :  "  you  and  Napoleon  differ  some- 
what as  to  tactics 
mais — n'importe  ?  voici  le  sabre 

le  sabre 
le  sabre ! " 

Sylvia  was  indignant,  but  I  laughed  a 
good  deal  secretly,  for  I  appreciated  the 
Grand  Duchess  of  Gerolstein. 

And  so  we  sat  there,  examining,  plan- 


360    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

ning,  glancing  at  the  weird  antics  of 
Obadiah  and  the  bear,  who  were  ap- 
parently conversing  together  upon  the 
lawn. 

"I  wonder  what  he  's  teaching  that 
bear  now?"  mused  Sylvia,  arranging  a 
stray  curl  thoughtfully.  The  bear's  nose 
was  almost  touching  Obadiah's,  and  the 
latter  stood  with  both  hands  upon  Casi- 
mir's  shoulders. 

"  Doan  git  gay,  Mars  Bear,"  said  Oba- 
diah, lifting  a  warning  finger,  "doan  yo' 
git  so  brash  an*  pestiferous, — put  in  yo' 
tongue  !  Now, — now  we  is  gwine  dance 
de  pea-vine  !  Lef  foot,  right  foot,  lef  foot, 
right  foot,  shufHe  ! — hyah  yo' !  stop  dat 
hoppin'  !  Hist  yo'  feet  up  like  ole  'Diah  ! 
Lef  foot,  right  foot,  lef  foot,  right  foot, 
mizzle  to  yo'  pardner, — hyah  !  doan'  yo' 
hyah,  ole  'Diah  say  'mizzle' !" 

"  Is  that  English  ?  "  asked  Sylvia,  laugh- 
ing. 

"You  know  well  enough  it  is  n't,"  I 
replied.  I  had  learned,  not  without  some 
chagrin,  that  Sylvia  spoke  English  as  well 
as  I  did. 


Mostly  Concerning  Bears.     361 

"  Obadiah  is  paying  poor  Casimir  for 
treeing  him,"  I  added,  and  I  glanced 
askance  at  Sylvia. 

The  mellow  evening  light  tinged  the 
meadow  pond  where  geese  and  ducks 
steered  to  and  fro,  craning  their  necks 
after  the  dancing  gnats.  Rose  tinted 
clouds  gjled  high  over  the  Osman  Peak, 
casting  strange  shadows  across  the  notch 
below  the  cragged  heights.  From  the 
garden  came  the  metallic  scream  of  the 
old  silver  pheasant,  the  babble  of  turkeys 
and  the  whinny  of  horses  in  the  stable. 

"  Get  me  a  rose,"  said  Sylvia  capri- 
ciously. 

I  brought  her  a  great  bunch  of  spicy 
Turkish  roses.  She  placed  them  in  her 
waist,  humming  a  song  as  her  white  fingers 
lingered  among  the  blossoms. 

"  These  buds  are  sweeter,"  said  I,  hold- 
ing out  two  dried  rose-buds  in  my  hand. 

"Where  do  they  come  from?"  asked 
Sylvia,  looking  up  at  me. 

"  You  struck  them  from  the  bush  with 
your  riding-crop  that  afternoon, — don't 
you  remember?" 


362    A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes. 

"  Poor  little  buds,"  she  said,  bending 
tenderly  over  them  ;  but  it  was  my  palm, 
not  the  buds,  that  her  lips  brushed. 

Then  she  sprang  up  and  seized  me 
with  both  hands,  pushing  me  before  her 
through  the  garden. 

"  Come  and  walk  with  Casimir  and  me," 
she  insisted  ;  "  you  do  nothing  but  sit  and 
smoke  and  snap  gun-locks  all  day  and  it  is 
not  healthy  !  Obadiah  !  Go  in  and  bring 
your  pruning  shears.  Look  at  that  hedge. 
Are  you  not  mortified  ?  " 

"Yessm,"  said  Obadiah  rolling  his  eyes. 

"  Dear  me,"  sighed  Sylvia,  slipping  her 
arm  through  mine,  "  I  really  do  not  know 
what  would  become  of  this  valley  if  I  were 
not  here.  Casimir !  Follow  close  !  Closer  ! 
No, — you  must  n't  shove  your  old  nose 
in  between  my  husband  and  me.  I  love 
you  very  much  but 

"  But  what,"  said  I. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Sylvia,  with  a  faint 
smile. 

So  we  walked  away  into  the  flowering 
woodland,  where  the  rushing  Tchiska 
made  music  for  us  and  the  orange  and 


Mostly  Concerning  Bears.     363 

white  orchids  spread  a  carpet  for  us,  and 
all  the  little  birds  chirped  shrill  evening 
hymns  in  praise  of  the  loveliest  woman  in 
all  the  world,  my  wife,  Witch  Sylvia. 


THE    END. 


THREE  NOTABLE  BOOKS 


The  Red  Republic.     A  Romance  of  the  Commune.    By  ROBERT 
W.  CHAMBERS.     Eighth  thousand.     12°         ...     $1.25 

"  With  all  its  rush  and  excitement  there  is  a  solid  basis  of  painstaking  and 
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in  striking  contrast  the  barbarity  of  war."— DROCH  in  N.  Y.  Lift. 

A  King  and  a  Few  Dukes.     A  Romance.     By  ROBERT  W. 
CHAMBERS.     Sixth  thousand.     12°          ....     $1.25 

"  No  superior  fiction  has  appeared  in  months.  .  .  .  It  is  a  charming  love 
story,  attractively  told  in  a  way  that  is  essentially  Mr.  Chambers'  own."— N.  Y. 
Times. 

"  A  more  charming,  wholly  delightful  story,  it  would  be  difficult  to  name  in  the 
whole  range  of  English  fiction.  That  is  saying  much,  but  not  one  bit  more  than 
the  book  deserves.  .  .  .  The  characters  are  wonderfully  well  drawn."— N.  Y. 
World. 

"  This  latest  of  Mr.  Chambers'  stories  is  written  in  a  very  charming  manner, 
and  with  all  the  grace  and  finish  that  have  made  the  writings  of  the  author  so 
popular  during  the  past." — Albany  Union. 

The  Maker  of  Moons.    By  ROBERT  W.  CHAMBERS.    New  edition. 
12°,  gilt  top.         . $1.50 

"  Mr.  Chambers  writes  with  the  irresistible  fluent  vigor  that  characterizes  the 
born  story-teller.  .  .  .  His  stories  are  in  great  part  as  improbable  as  the 
famous  '  She '  by  Rider  Haggard,  but  the  reader  having  once  begun  it  is  impossi- 
ble for  him  not  to  continue  to  the  end.  In  the  present  volume  there  are  also  throe 
stories  which,  on  a  basis  of  probability,  develop  a  series  of  incidents  illustrated 
whh  humor  and  pathos  which  makes  them  distinctively  American."— Boston  Lit' 
erary  World. 


Q.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  New  York  and  London 


GOOD   FICTION 


The  Shadow  of  Victory 

A  Romance  of  Fort  Dearborn.     By  MYRTLE  REED,  author 
of  "  Love  Letters  of  a  Musician,"  "  Lavender  and  Old 
Lace,"  etc. 
12°.     (By  mail,  $1.35) net,  $1.20 

**  A  sweet  and  wholesome  as  well  as  highly  artistic  novel,  deserving  of 
the  highest  praise.  A  story  that  warms  every  reader's  heart  and  makes 
him  regret  that  he  has  reached  the  end.'* — Nashville  A  merican. 

"An  astonishingly  vigorous  story." — N.  Y.  Sun. 

Free,  Not  Bound 

By  KATRINA  TRASK,  author  of  "  Under  King  Constantine," 
"  Christalan,"  etc. 
12°.     (By  mail,  $1.20) net,  $1.10 

"A  more  wholly  successful  and  artistic  story  one  could  not  ask.  Its  sim- 
plicity, its  depth,  its  wide  range,  its  sanity,  its  serenity,  its  beauty, — these 
things  give  it  distinction.  The  reader  closes  the  book  wishing  that  there 
were  more  books  like  it  written  in  this  day."—Tke  Dispatch,  St.  Paul. 

"A  work  so  strong  and  with  so  many  popular  qualities  as  to  entitle  it  to 
rank  high  among  the  best  literary  creations  of  the  time" — Leslie's 
Weekly. 

A  Master  Hand 

The  Story  of  a  Crime.     By  RICHARD  DALLAS. 

12°.     (By  mail,  $1.10) net,  $1.00 

"A  capital  detective  story.  Its  title  might  well  have  personal  appli- 
cation to  the  author  for  his  ability  in  the  creation  of  so  interesting  a  tale." 
—  The  Outlook. 

"Contains  a  surprise  which  is  absolutely  new  in  the  annals  of  detective 
stories." — Commercial  A  dvertiser. 


New  York— G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS  — London 


OVERDUE. 

H"  33  1939 


LD21-100m.7,'39(40r 


BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


925571 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


